Trigger Girl
by itsthisjealousy
Summary: There was one piece of the puzzle that Ryan had never figured out. Every killer has a trigger. Every killer has something that got them going and keeps them going. Ryan had never figured out Joe's. Everyone had assumed that it was Poe but it was much more than that so now it was time to introduce Ryan to his trigger. To let him meet her. Joe/OC
1. Chapter 1 - Joe's Request

Hours ticked by every day and Joe Carroll just spent the hours waiting. He had let himself be caught so easily this time. Watching from the inside was limited but worth it. Had he stayed on the run he would have never been able to see Ryan Hardy's tortured face. The power he had from inside was even greater than it would have been outside. Everything was orchestrated to write this second book with Ryan so Joe felt safe on the inside. He was more connected to the FBI than ever. He also knew it was his only way to get access to _her_.

She was the puzzle piece that Ryan had never figured out.

Every killer has a reason to start killing or multiple reasons. She had been his reason. A trigger to start such a murderous warpath. Such a beautiful trigger too. His friends had given as much information about her that they could find. Jacob had gone so far to befriend her to feed Joe more information. After almost ten years of stirring in a prison cell Joe knew he was close. She was not his student anymore but instead she was the youngest member of the BAU and after the next show of his power the FBI would have no choice but to pull every available member of the unit onto this case.

He would finally get to see her again.

Joe was not at all surprised when he was being moved out of his cell to a far too familiar interrogation room. So many people had wanted access to him over the past week that Joe felt like he was busier than ever. Nighttime seemed to be the only time of day where he spent more than a few hours in his cell. They kept questioning him as if it was going to help them solve something. They had no idea how big this was and how ready he was to lead them astray. Jordy's survival had caught him off guard but it was a minor setback. Rick's murder almost made up for it. The plan wasn't going perfectly but Joe was learning to compromise. As long a some details remained the same. As long as Ryan Hardy looked more pissed off and tortured every day.

"Where is she Joe?"

"Good afternoon Ryan, it is nice to see you too. Still not sleeping?" Joe replied calmly. He knew well enough that three hours ago Maggie had taken Ryan's sister. Just as Paul and Jacob had gotten close to Sarah, Maggie had become friends with Ryan's sister Emily. Chapter four involved a personal attack. Joe had heard that Ryan had been distant from his family since the end of the first trial so this was Joe's way of bringing them back together.

"Joe you're going to tell me where Emily is or I wi-,"

"You'll what Ryan? I'm pretty sure your escort is here to keep you from breaking anymore fingers. Please, sit down. Lets chat." Joe's voice was slow. His eyes followed Ryan's every move. The man was more agitated than ever. This was far more person. Taking Joey had upset Ryan but taking his sister was another matter. Joe knew Ryan would blame himself if Emily died. He counted on it.

"I don't want to chat Joe." Ryan's voice was hard in comparison to Joe's. They were polar opposites in almost every way. While Joe remained calm Ryan stirred. Anger was boiling in the man's blood but he had to control it.

"Then I'm afraid you'll never see dear Emily again," Joe shrugged, folding his hands. Ryan hesitated but he knew Joe was serious. Shouting at the man would do nothing. Joe didn't scare, not with threats or screaming. Ryan slowly pulled the chair out and sat down, waiting for Joe's first words of their chat.

"I will only speak to one person about Emily's location," Joe said carefully "And it isn't you."

This was unusual. Ryan seemed to be the person that Joe wanted to talk to with the exception of Claire. Joe knew it would be a long time until they let Claire back in here. He had almost choked the life out of her last time and that had been with broken fingers. They weren't about to trust him with his deal ex-wife again.

Right now Joe was okay with that. He wanted someone else.

"Who then?"

"Her name is Liette Arnaut."

Debrah Parker froze. Watching from the room outside she had not expected this. She had predicted that Ryan would snap with Joe. She hadn't wanted to send him in there but he had assisted. She was slowly loosening her leash on Ryan even though she tended to get kicked in the ass for it. He was probably the only one who could figure out Joe. Or at least she had thought so.

"Who the hell is that?"

Debrah knew the answer already. Ryan would have known had he stayed with the Bureau. Agent Arnaut had been pulled into the BAU four years ago. She had been twenty four at the time and was already finishing her first PhD. Many government agencies had approached her but the BAU had been her first choice. No one had blinked twice at the fact that she had taken two of Joe Carroll's english courses as electives while doing her bachelors degrees. Many people had been Carroll's students and had never been involved with the case at all.

But Liette was more than involved and it was time that everyone knew that.

"She's an agent, Agent Parker will know how to find her. Bring her to me and you might be able to save Emily," Joe said, making no promises that Emily would survive. "You don't have much time though, so you better make it quick."


	2. Chapter 2 - Genius

Liette Arnaut was no ordinary twenty eight year old. If she hadn't been so busy with the BAU over the past four years she may have been able to get her second PhD. She was above average intelligence and her weak but sufficient eidetic memory made her seem like a genius but she hated the word. She had been bullied for more of her life so it still wasn't endearing to her. Life had certainly gotten better since she had surrounded herself with intellectuals but sometimes Liette felt out of place. Many of the agents were both brains and brawn but Liette was just fit enough to get through basic training. She wasn't out of shape but she didn't work out five times a week like some people here. She didn't understand how any of them had the time for it but then again most of them didn't understand how she had to much time to read.

The bureau had been so busy lately. Cults were certainly not something they took lightly. Precedents like Manson made this a very critical matter. They knew just how bad a well run cult could make things. The Joe Carroll case had been big news but Liette had been about the only agent who hadn't jumped at the opportunity to work on it. She had stayed in Quantico despite the fact that she knew Parker would have gladly taken her along. There would be other cases to work on, other cases that weren't going to haunt her like this one.

Liette had taken Carroll's course on romantic literature in her first year. She had been nineteen and had immediately become entranced with Joe. Who wouldn't? All the female students gossiped about him but it was more than his voice and his good looks for Liette. There was something in the way he thought about things. People didn't think like that anymore. It was beautiful. She had always been interested in English her whole life but her practicality had caused her to pursue a degree in psychology. The literature course had been her idea of a fun elective and that was exactly what it had become. The killings had started midway through the term but Liette had continued to go to school. She had been super vigilant but she hadn't let the murders drive her out of town but when Carroll was caught Liette couldn't believe he had been in front of her eyes the whole time. She had enrolled in his second year course immediately after registration opened. They had just started into Poe when Liette found Carroll being replaced by a new teacher due to his immediate expulsion from the school. He was going to jail. Liette barely made it a week through her new class before she decided that Carroll's memory was too haunting for her. She dropped the semester and requested for an immediate transfer to a new school. Harvard was all to happy to accept the study who had passed them up in the beginning.

She had truly believed she had gotten away from Carroll. He came up in training and in some of her classes but she never had to picture him in the front of her classroom or imaging his voice again.

Until now.

The phone rang. Liette recognized Parker's number and picked up immediately. "Hello boss," she said with a small smile, leaning back in her chair. She had been going over overdue paperwork while she waited for a new case. What was remaining of the behavioral analysis team would surely have another care soon enough. They didn't seem to get much time off but Liette liked that. She had always become so restless when she didn't have something to do. This was why she had packed her course loads in university to get her degrees done early. Idle time was not something Liette cared for.

"Arnaut I need you to come in," Debrah had been at war with herself over this decision. She didn't like the idea of handing one of her agents over to Joe even with him in handcuffs. They had no idea why Joe wanted Liette. He had stopped talking; he was waiting for her. The pressure from Hardy to find his sister alive and well had been enough to cause Parker to make this phone call.

"I'm already in the office boss," Liette said, a weak attempt at making a joke.

"No, I need you to come to me. We need you on the Carroll case." it seemed they had been pulling agents in one by one as this became more serious. Parker didn't want the team to get too big but it was important to get this moving on. They needed to find every last member of Carroll's sick romantic cult and get this over with. If she didn't solve this case it would destroy her career.

The mention of Carroll's name caused Liette to freeze. She ducked her head so the other agents in the office couldn't read her expression. She didn't want to be questioned about this. The fear that came to her when thinking about Joe was slightly embarrassing. She had dealt with many cases over the past four years but nothing had ever come to haunt her like he had. He had been someone to her and that made it so much more personal than any other case could have been. "May I ask why?" Liette said, attempting to keep her voice steady.

"He's asked for you Liette. He asked for you specifically." Parker said, biting her lip. Liette's silence could be felt over the phone line. Anyone would be shocked by this request. Carroll was not the type of person you wanted to be important to especially if you were a young woman. "How does he know you?"

"I was one of his students." Liette said blandly. She decided delving too deep into the nature of her relationship with Joe. It would all come out eventually but right now this should be enough. Many had been Joe's students, many had loved him as a professor and many had done alright for themselves.

But Joe wasn't asking for the rest of them. He was asking for her.

"I didn't know..."

"I don't talk about it." Liette said quickly.

"The jet will be ready for you," Parker nodded. Clearly this wasn't a conversation to have over the phone. More would be revealed about Liette as Joe's student soon enough. They just needed to get her here. Joe had said Emily didn't have much time. If Emily died Debrah wasn't sure Hardy would be of any use to them anymore. He was already unstable as it was.

"It's only an hour and a half drive," Liette shook her head. It was a waste of the Bureau's money to fly her out to the jail where they were holding Joe. It really wasn't that far. That had always been kind of unnerving to Liette. He was so close. Sometimes she had even gone to visit criminals in that same prison but she had always purposely made sure Joe had never seen him. She had been able to keep him out of her life for the most part.

"It's urgent. They have Hardy's sister." Parker nodded. "We need you."

Liette knew she could not deny this request. It was more of an order than it was a request. She had to go. Joe was asking for her and therefore he would have her. For a man in prison he seemed to have a lot of power over them. Liette knew it was only a matter of time before she felt like he had power over her own life once more. The nightmares would be back and there would be no escaping them this time but she really had no choice.

"I'll be there as soon as possible."


	3. Chapter 3 - The Dance

It had taken just under an hour before the door of the interrogation room to open again. This time no guards walked in and Ryan Hardy didn't come in with his dark eyes and cold stare. Instead an image of light danced it's way into Joe's view. Claire had been his first love but this young woman had his heart racing in a different manner.

"Liette."

She had physically matured but she had not truly changed. She had seemed like such a woman even when she was just nineteen. Now her body fit her personality. The first time she had spoken in his class Joe had known she was different. He had been so disappointed to find out that she wasn't a English major but that hadn't stopped him from getting to know her. An intellectual like her thrived among professors even more than she would within her peers. She had been a nobody to many of them but to Joe she had been something special. She was the missing piece of the puzzle. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a messy bun. Her brown eyes sparkled in a way that was unusual for that tone but Joe knew well the power of brown eyes. She was slender, slightly taller than average and although she dressed plainly she was stunning. Joe noted that her ring finger was bare but she still wore the silver claddagh ring on her right hand. Such symbolism in one little piece of silver. The point of the heart pointed to her fingertips; she was still single.

"Joe."

Watching from the video feed Parker was surprised by how quickly Liette had pulled herself together. Liette had never been known to be the most stable individual but she was priceless when it came to the BAU. She had absorbed more knowledge in her years of university than most people memorized throughout their whole careers. She didn't have a specialty because she knew so much about everything.

"Did we find out why her?" Ryan asked as he stood behind Agent Parker. So far Joe had been so adamant about making it all about Hardy. This new move was a surprise in their little chess game. It was certainly something Ryan had not been ready for. He had expected that Joe would ask to speak to his family but asking to speak to a s

"She was his student,"

"An FBI agent studied romantic literature?" Mike Weston knew Liette as the quirky genius girl who was just two years younger than him. He had attempted flirting with her once or twice but she clearly wasn't the type to mix work with pleasure. Weston respected that and had allowed himself to become a friendly companion to the blonde instead. He had thought he had known her pretty well but clearly he was mistaken. If he had paid a little more attention he would have noticed Liette rarely went anywhere without a book and most of those books were terribly entrenched with romance. For a practical girl Liette Arnaut happened to be a sucker for a love story especially ones that pushed boundaries.

"Electives." Parker shrugged. Her own electives had been filled with religion and philosophy classes. That was how she really found her knack for the occult.

Ryan kept his eyes on the video feed. Joe was quiet and Liette was waiting for his lead. He studied the camera that was pointed at the girl. His mind traced his memory for some recall of her. He had sat in Joe's classes and listened to him lecture. She had been there. "Wait...I remember her. She used to sit at the front, he called on her a lot." He had called her Miss Arnaut the first couple of weeks but Ryan remembered it eventually transitioned to Liette. There was definitely some sort of personal relationship there. "Probably his favorite student."

"Do you think she's one of them?" Mike asked, looking over to Debrah and then back at Ryan. He didn't know who to go with anymore. Parker was his boss but Ryan was a legend. Mike had studied the Joe Carroll case for his thesis. They probably would not have caught Carrol when they did had Hardy not been as vigilant as he had been.

"No." Debrah shut Mike down immediately. She didn't want her own agents to be turning on each other. She knew Liette. She believed that the girl was far too good for that. If she had wanted to work in a corrupt situation she could have taken another offer but Liette hadn't. She was dedicated to the BAU and to stopping men like Carroll. There was just no way Liette could be a member of the cult. "She's never been to visit him and she works one of the busiest schedules of all my agents. This is the first case she has sat out on in the four years she's been with the BAU."

"Well, doesn't look like she'll get to sit out anymore."

Joe had let the silence hit him before he realized he would have to lead the dance. He preferred it this way. It felt much less like an interrogation and more like a conversation. That was what he wanted. After all those years locked up Liette had never come to visit him; not once. Now he would finally get to talk to her. It was a moment he was more than happy to relish in. He could almost physically feel the power he had even though he was imprisoned. He had got her just where he wanted her. "So you did it, everything you wanted to accomplish. Behavioral Analysis Unit by the time you were twenty five." his smile showed that he was genuinely proud of her. He had once tried to convince her into switching majors but she was so adamant to become an FBI agent. It had all been so amusing to him. He had asked her about her opinions on his murders many times without her realizing she was talking to the killer himself.

"Twenty four actually." she corrected. "Where is Emily Hardy Joe?"

It was as if she stepped on his foot in the middle of the dance. It broke the perfection of him leading and he couldn't allow that. He needed the control back so he took it. "That can wait. We need to catch up." Joe's smile played softly on his face. It churned Liette's stomach to know that that curved lip was for her.

"Please." Liette said softly.

Another step in the wrong direction but Joe allowed his tongue to do the leading. She'd follow along if she was smart. If she really was as good at this job as they all said she was then maybe she'd be able to read him. It could become quite the waltz. "I heard you transferred to Harvard and never took another English course," this was information that he shouldn't have known but had had the others find out for him. He had not let Liette get out of his brain. He had needed to know what she was doing and how she was doing. For a girl who found our her professor was a serial killer she had done pretty well for herself.

"Well, no one quite understood literature like you do." Liette complimented.

So she would dance now. That made Joe happy. He needed a partner who wasn't so aggressive. Ryan was always stepping on toes or in the literal case; breaking fingers. "Except for you. You understood quite well. The others saw the pieces but you saw the whole." there were many reasons why Liette had become his favorite student but what had drawn Joe into her at first was her insight. People like Sarah Fuller could see bits and pieces and write a perfectly good essay on it but Liette understood how everything worked together. She saw the clock beyond the gears.

"You told Hardy you would tell me where Emily is," Ouch. Another toe. Joe's face hardened a little, his smile dropping. Liette noticed the change and tried not to let him see her anxiety. She was an FBI agent but that didn't mean she didn't feel fear. She had been afraid on many cases but this was so different. Just a grimace had her shaking a little. She could have been one of his victims had he had more time. There had been plenty of moments where he had had the chance. They had been alone often and he would have had no problem overpowering her. Liette had to remember that right now he was handcuffed and he couldn't harm her.

Then again, he was technically still murdering people while being in prison.

The waltz restarted with a shake of his head. This time Joe would make her cooperate. She needed to see that the only way he'd tell her anything was if they got to talk. He wanted to hear how she had been from her lips. Records, statuses, and reports could only say so much. "I will, there is still time. We need to catch up first."

Liette took in a deep breath. This had all been such a bad idea. She wasn't strong enough for this. Her mind took a moment to think about walking out but then she remembered that there was a young woman who needed her help. Liette knew Joe would let Emily Hardy die if she did not cooperate.

"What do you want to know?" the blonde said with a sigh.

One two three and one two three and...that waltz could go on. It would be beautiful if she continued with him. He wasn't here to scare her off. He wasn't even here to upset her like he had with Claire. He had provoked Claire with his questions but with Liette it was different. He now had some control over Liette but not in the same way that he had control over Claire. He had their son; that was the ultimate control over his ex-wife. Liette was here as part of the job. She had no real connections to Ryan's sister. Why would it really matter if the girl lived or died?

Looking up at the camera Joe let a small smile come over his face. This must be torturing Ryan. He knew the clock was ticking and that a very dangerous woman held his sister's life in her hands. They were all watching and that pleased Joe but there was something more important about this; he got to tell their story.

"Did you ever tell them about me? About everything you knew...about how close we were." the smile Joe had on his face was not mirrored by one from Liette. Her face remained still and she tried not to react. She had training for this or training for what this was supposed to be like. She had interrogated others and only shown emotional responses when she needed to but this was difficult. Joe was baiting her with their history. "You could have helped Ryan write his book. He missed a few details." Joe chuckled.

"I thought she was just a student." Ryan said looking over to Parker. This seemed like more than a student-professor relationship. She had been getting a bachelors degree. At that point most professors can't even place a face with a name in their classes. Joe had known his students who he planned on killing but suggesting that Liette knew him was something new. Most students had described their professor as dreamy, charming or romantic but they couldn't go past that. What did Liette know about Joe and why did she know it?

"That's all she said." Parker shrugged.

"And you're sure she's not one of them?" Mike asked innocently. He didn't like to think of Liette that way but this meeting did make it suspicious. If Liette and Carroll were closer than they had all thought she could have easily been one of his accolades.

"Not Liette. We know her Weston. Not Liette." Parker didn't like the idea of a mole in her unit. She especially didn't like the fact that it was an FBI prodigy who was being suspected of being in this cult. Liette was too smart for that. She had moved away from Carroll after the arrest. She had never spoken about him. She had never visited him. Wasn't that all evidence to suggest she couldn't possibly be involved with Joe now?

"Sarah Fuller thought she knew Jacob Wells and Paul Torres, look what that got her!" Ryan snapped. Joe irritated him on a good day but it had become even more personal. Joe had pushed the right buttons today.

Joe waited for Liette's response and at first she merely shook her head. "No. I didn't talk about you. Not once." she specified clearly.

He was slightly hurt. She had been so fascinated with crime that he had thought she would at least appreciate what he had done. He had thought perhaps she would study him; that it would have made him more interesting to her. It hurt to hear that it hadn't. Joe's heart raced as he thought about how little he could possibly mean to her. She meant so much to him. "So you haven't missed me?" he asked, his face as straight as hers.

"I have."

It was as if time suspended for Joe but in the room with the others a commotion occurred. This wasn't the response they had expected. Parker was ready for her to say no but that wasn't what they were hearing. Liette missed Joe? All these years and she had never mentioned him. How could this have happened? A mole inside the FBI; Parker couldn't believe it.

"We need her out of there." Parker said, standing from her spot in front of the computer.

"He hasn't told her anything about Emily." Ryan said, blocking Parker from the door.

"He's not going to." Parker growled, staring Ryan hard in the eye.

"You never came to visit." Joe said, causing the agents to turn their attention back to the videos for a moment. Liette hesitated. Her next words were critical for the whole situation. She could make herself a even more of a suspect or she could say enough to get Joe to talk.

"I couldn't. I missed the Joe I knew, my professor...my...friend...the moment they caught you, well you ceased being that person." Liette felt her emotions taking control. Her voice was shaky and she wanted to cry. She resisted but it took all of her focus to do so. This was what she had been avoiding for ten years.

"I'm still that man." Joe protested.

"Prove it. Tell me where Emily is." This was the important part. Liette was still focused on Emily. She could be playing either side. Parker wanted to believe she was one of them. She wanted to believe that Liette was smart enough to not get trapped in with Joe Carroll. She had to know better.

"Promise me you'll come see me again." Joe said, his hands opening, his arms moving against the handcuffs to reach towards Liette's own hands. She pulled back in time before he could touch her but that didn't stop his brown eyes from connecting with hers. They held her stare as his lips moved again. She couldn't take her attention off of him "Promise me."

"I promise." the words slipped out of her lips in an instant. She did not even have the time to regret them. She had officially thrown herself back in with Joe Carroll. She was a piece in his chess game once more.

"217 church street, check the basement." Joe said finally. He had got what he wanted and therefore he would give them something to work on. They didn't have much time but there was still a chance to save Emily Hardy...all thanks to Liette.

Liette stood from her spot, knowing that they'd want her out of there now anyway. Joe had had more than enough time with her today. Liette felt a little used. She would now be a pawn for her boss and her co-workers. She knew that they'd now make her talk to Joe if they needed something and she knew he would ask for her whenever he wanted her. Her life was no longer her own. It belonged to him.

Before his blonde beauty could slip away from him Joe lifted his head in victory. The smile placed on his face was genuine. Everything had went according to plan; actually it had gone better than he had expected. He'd have Liette back in his life which was definitely an important subplot to his new story. Soon enough Hardy would understand why. "By the way love, I missed you too."


	4. Chapter 4 - Queen of Hearts

Liette was barely out of the interrogation room for five seconds when Parker came towards her. Hardy had no doubt already taken off to Church street but Debrah needed to deal with her agent. "Anaut why didn't you tell me of your relationship with Carroll?" Parker's voice was hard. Liette had managed to get the address out of Joe but that didn't mean she wouldn't get in trouble. This was a major thing to not tell your boss about.

"I didn't think it was important." Liette's eyes were trained on the ground. She had made the mistake of looking Joe in the eye and now his brown eyes were haunting her. She didn't feel the need to be threatened by the glare that Parker was no doubt giving her right now.

"Liette he's leading a cult from inside prison, every detail is important." Parker said sternly. She liked Liette and truly wanted to believe that the girl wasn't involved with Carroll anymore but she had to be cautious. This case could make or break her career. Parker had always been great when it came to the politics of being in the FBI. She knew how to get to the top. That was how she was able to beat out every male candidate who had wanted to lead this unit. She was not about to jeopardize all she had worked for on this single case especially not because of one girl.

"Joe hasn't been part of my life since he was locked up." Liette said, lifting her head but allowing her brown eyes to move past Parker. She noted the other woman's cold features but she didn't pay much attention to them. Her eyes were then drawn to the door of the interrogation room. It opened and three guards led Joe silently out and back to his cell. Liette could feel Joe's eyes all over her but she was relieved that he did not say anything else to her at this point. She needed a break from all of this already. She couldn't imagine how Ryan Hardy was feeling. He had thrown himself back into this case after it had already destroyed him.

"But clearly you've been part of his," Parker noted as she watched Liette's stare.

"Do you think I wanted this?" Liette eyes snapped to Debrah's immediately. This time she did not hide her eyes from the other woman. Joe said the eyes were like the windows to the soul and this time Liette's soul showed betrayal. How could anyone think she was part of a cult? She could admit that she was unstable at times but the rest of her personality just didn't fit with the type of person who could be brainwashed into killing others. Joe had captured her once upon a time but not by nursing the idea that murder was okay.

"I don't know, did you?" Liette's hard stare had not made Parker step off. She needed to profile her own profiler at this point. If Liette was one of the accolades they could not trust her to be part of the investigate.

"You can't possibly think I'm one of them." Liette's light eyebrows furrowed slightly. She hated when people didn't trust her. She had grown up very insecurely and she had felt like she had finally found a place within this team. She still felt like an odd one but for the most part the BAU happened to be her second family. Her mother was the only other family she had ever known and beyond that the next person who had treated her with true kindness had been Joe. Liette figured it was hardly a good idea to let Debrah know that. But Joe hadn't always been terrible. Even during the killing he had been Liette's only confidant.

"You missed him." Parker reminded her.

"I was playing him." Liette wasn't too sure how true her own statement was. She had indeed missed what Joe had been to her but she definitely didn't miss Joe the man who haunted her nightmares. It was so conflicting but it was not shocking. Most people were thrown off when they found out their friends or neighbors could be psychos. Liette had been no different. She had gone through many of the stages of grief when she had "lost" Joe. He had meant something to her; something more than she could even help any of the others understand.

"Well lets hope you can keep doing that," Pakrer nodded, deciding to trust Liette for now. She began to turn away but Liette's voice fell upon her ears once more.

"Debrah I don't want to go back in there,"

Debrah looked back to see a young woman who now seemed very small. Liette could be strong at times but instability made her weak as well. She seemed to tilt on any given day. There were little triggers that made her one way or the other. Debrah was quickly realizing that Joe was a weakening trigger. This was going to be an issue. Liette needed to be on this case but Dbrah couldn't handle another liability. Dealing with hot head Ryan Hardy was hard enough these days so dealing with unstable Liette would prove to be tiresome. She needed the agent to prove herself and to do it quickly.

"Unfortunately you just promised him that you would." Debrah reminded her. They didn't have to got through with that promise to Joe but something told Parker that they would eventually need to. They had not gotten anywhere close to finding Joey Matthews so perhaps Liette would be able to get that out of Joe as well. "I'd go to the briefing room if I was you and get up to speed. I'm going to go make sure everything goes alright with Hardy's sister."

Liette didn't even have a moment to protest. Parker was gone and she was left to make her own work. Sitting idle didn't seem like a good idea so the blonde quickly turned to closest security guard and asked him to lead the way. She had some catching up to do.


	5. Chapter 5 - Breathless

Mike Weston really started to feel as if he should have driven. Hardy was driving like a maniac and while Mike understood the man's want to get to his sister in time Mike was a little afraid they were going to end up dead before they got there. Mike just hoped that Hardy hadn't been drinking too much from that water bottle today or they were doomed.

Church street was normally a twenty five minute drive but Ryan was determined to make it in under fifteen. Joe had given them an address and hopefully he could make it in time. He had saved Claire from Jordy Raines so now it was time to save Emily. Despite wanting to resist Ryan couldn't help but let Joe turn him into the broken hero of this story. The plot kept thickening but Ryan's role remained the same. Liette was no doubt a new character and Joe would throw her in some how but Ryan continued to be the protagonist. Joe continued to remind Ryan; this was all for him.

"The red brick one of the right," Mike noted as he saw the address they were headed for. Ryan barely parked the car before jumping out of it. Mike only now realized that Hardy hadn't worn a seatbelt the entire drive. It really was a miracle that someone wasn't killed.

Like a bull Ryan rushed into the house without thinking. "Hardy wait!" Mike called after him, trying to grab at the other man's shirt in order to stop Ryan but he pulled away. They technically should have waited for the rest of the agents to pull in. Hardy still didn't have a weapon which meant Mike couldn't just let him go in alone. Yelling to the other agents who had just pulled up to follow him Mike charged after Ryan hoping that they could somehow make the best of it.

Entering the house was like entering Joe's funhouse from hell. Music was blasting but if you listened carefully the tones were being mixed in with screams. Emily's screams. This was like Sarah all over again. Maggie was playing with Joe's idea of keeping a souvenir. Immediately Ryan's mind flickered to images of Sarah hung up and bloodied. His mind played tricks on him and showed him Emily instead.

_No, she's still alive. She's still alive._

"How do you want me to kill your sister Ryan?"

Ryan stopped suddenly in the middle of the room. Mike almost ran right into him. "Did you hear that?" Ryan asked, spinning around.

"How do you want me to do it?"

It was Maggie's voice. She was laughing. This was the bitch who had them believe she was a victim in all of this. Her psycho husband had jumped Ryan once but not twice. Maggie was Joe's special little treat. A psycho woman with amazing acting skills. This was not the type of thing Ryan wanted to put up with. Joe had certainly found an interesting and difficult band of misfits. None of them seemed to be alike.

"HOW SHOULD I KILL EMILY?"

Mike wanted to jump out of his skin. How thick could these people get? Joe was a sick man but his followers were something else. He didn't understand how seemingly ordinary people could be coerced into seeing all of this as normal. They were enjoying what they did and they loved that they were doing it for Joe. It was sick.

"RYAN!"

That voice belonged to Emily.

"The basement. He said the basement," Mike said, trying to help. Ryan didn't respond vocally but instead took off, tearing through the house. He turned left in the kitchen to be taunted by bloody knives, right into the living room to see pictures of his sister with crossed out eyes and then finally found the doorway into the basement. Three agents followed closely behind him.

"You haven't got much time." Maggie's voice sounded one last time and then the music stopped. The only sounds Ryan could hear were the other agents and his own heartbeat. Spinning he looked for Emily and then he saw it. A glass tank filled with water and a writhing young body. Emily. They were drowning her. Ryan didn't bother looking for Maggie. They all knew Joe wouldn't want too many of his followers caught or killed so she had probably taken off a while ago. All that mattered now was getting Emily out.

"We need to break the glass!" Mike shouted to the other agents when he noticed her.

Ryan threw himself at the glass case but he did more damage to himself than he did to the glass. His eyes immediately began to scan the room. Emily pounded furiously at the glass as she noticed her brother. She was struggling. Maggie couldn't actually be that far from here because it was clear that the tank had just recently filled. Mike didn't want to think of this like Saw. Maggie had to have been here to put Emily in the tank; it wasn't some puzzle piece contraption. He had to believe in that or else he would start worrying about this whole house being rigged. "Ryan, on the wall!"

On the wall there was one plain axe. It was pretty much the only thing in the basement aside from the water tank. This was definitely set up so Ryan could save the day or fail but Ryan wasn't thinking about Joe's sick story right now. In this moment he was just thinking about saving his sister.

Together Mike and Ryan yanked the axe off the wall and immediately the other agents cleared out of Ryan's way. Emily's pounding suddenly stopped as her brother approached the glass. She did not stop by choice but because her body was fading. Her mouth opened and air bubbles released. She needed out or she would drown. Her lungs would fill with water quickly so Ryan could not hesitate; he swung the axe.

The glass cracked the first time and Ryan cried out as he swung the axe again. He had misjudged the weight on the second swing. Pain shot up his arm. He had hurt himself but that didn't stop himself from taking another swing. He hollered in pain but kept swinging until finally the glass broke. Emily's body spilled out of the container with the water but Ryan quickly threw his arms out to catch her. In his own agony and the weight of his sister's body he fell to the floor, just narrowly missing some glass shards that could had truly hurt him. "Medic! I need a medic!" Ryan shouted as he looked at Emily's still body in his hands.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Pawn

_ Every Thursday since the second week of school Liette showed up for his shift at the library twenty minutes early. She threw her blonde hair up in a simple ponytail, buttoned her plain black blazer over her white blouse and went off to work. Putting books back on the shelf hardly challenged her but she found the methodical work relaxing. The three hour shift gave her a little extra cash in her pocket each week and it gave her a break from her studies. Most people took breaks by partying or hanging out with friends but Liette hadn't really made many friends in the two months she had been here._

_ "They really should have someone taller do the top shelves," Joe Carroll's voice came out in a smooth laugh as he picked up a book that Lietta had dropped. She had been on her tip toes trying to get a book into the top corner. Joe's arm reached a little longer than Liette's so he placed the book where she had intended it to go. _

_ "Professor Carroll," Liette's lips curved carefully into a smile. It had been two days since she had seen Joe Carroll's older but handsome face in class. She had him every Tuesday and Friday for two hours. Romantic Literature was quickly becoming one of Liette's favorite classes and it was a nice break from all the psychological jargon she had to deal with during the rest of the week. _

_ "Please, call me Joe," this was not the first time he had been this informal with her. In fact she ran into him often here at the library and for the past month he had been insisting that she use his first name. It seemed rather peculiar to Liette considering everyone else called him Professor Carroll no matter what setting they seemed to be in. Liette might have understood if she had been his graduate student or something but that wasn't the case. He just seemed to like her._

_ "Joe then, can I help you with something?" Liette asked, automatically assuming he was here about something in the library. She was working after all._

_ "Not unless you know the cure for writer's block." he chuckled. He was working on a book. He mentioned it during class every now and then but he never said much about it. Liette always made a mental note to check it out if it was ever published. _

_ "Well isn't the best method to just keep writing?" Liette asked for clarification. It was simply a tip she had received from a high school teacher but it made perfect logical sense to her. If your hands kept moving eventually you'd get to a point where you liked and you could edit out what you didn't like later._

_ "Tried that, not working today...so I thought I'd try chatting." this caught Liette's attention. She had gone back to stacking books but allowed her glance to move back on Joe as he told her this. Had he come here to converse with her? That seemed strange. There were many English professors in the department who probably could have been of more help and yet Joe was here._

_ "With me?" Liette asked, doe eyed._

_ "If you don't mind."_

_ "The strangeness of the situation truly caught her off guard. She didn't want to refuse him. He controlled one of her marks and getting on his bad side could create a bias that did not work in her favor. She tried hard to be such a good student and she didn't need to ruin that by offending one of her professors. I'd like to but I'm sort of working..." she excused herself carefully. Another thing Liette didn't want to do was lose her job. Working in the library suited her so it was where she wanted to stay. _

_ "After your shift then," Joe suggested._

_ Didn't he have somewhere to be? The ring on his finger suggested he was married. Shouldn't he be going home to his wife? All these questions rang through Liette's head and then she realized that none of it was any of her business. He was asking her to go talk with him; that was more than she had got from anyone on campus in a while. It would be nice to have some sort of social interaction that happened outside of work and classes. This was going to be a good thing._

_ "I could meet you at the cafe around the corner," she nodded._

_ Joe's smile had shown just how happy he was that she accepted his advance. He dipped his head to her in the most gentlemanly way possible and then allowed his eyes to softly connect with hers. "I'll get us a table by the fireplace." he said gently "See you then Liette." _

That had been the first day Joe and her had arranged to meet alone. Liette remembered discussing Chaucer, Poe and other writers for almost two hours before she had headed back to her apartment. He had even walked her home. She had begun to wonder if all her professors would eventually warm up to her in such a way. It would have been nice to have personal relationships with them as well. That never happened. Joe had been the only one.

Liette's thoughts were torn away from the past as a hand tapped her shoulder. Liette turned to see a young man with brown hair and blue eyes waiting to speak to her. The police officer was probably only a few years younger than her and he was more bright eyed than ever. "Agent Arnaut, they found Emily Hardy. She's alive."

That was definitely a relief.

Ryan Hardy had had to perform CPR on his sister with what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder. The medics had been too slow but Hardy was not about to let his sister die. This would all please Joe. It definitely made for a great chapter. Ryan had been the ultimate hero and had literally breathed the life back into his sister. Maggie had gotten away but there would be time for her later. They needed to get back to the other agents and figure out what to do next. So far Joe and his followers had been two steps ahead of them every day. It was time to switch the odds.

"Hardy how is she?" Debrah asked as she stood in the living room of the hell house Maggi had tortured Emily in. She had arrived a few minutes after they had managed to get Emily out of the tank.

"She's on her way to the hospital." "She's got some bruising and some cuts. Maggie wasn't kind but she'll live." Ryan admitted through small fact that Joe had got to his sister was really bothering him. How had this all happened so quickly? The plan was just too good. They were all too good. He had felt like an idiot the first time he had chased Joe but this time around it felt worse. He was being laughed at; by a whole group of psychos.

"Why aren't you with her?" Debrah asked.

"We have work to do." Ryan never seemed to cease at being a hard man. He had just saved his sister from drowning and yet he didn't falter. Part of it had to do with the vodka but the other part had to do with the desensitization.

"She's your sister."

"And she's only alive because we worked just fast enough this time. We barely made it. We need to get ahead." Ryan stated. It was kind of obvious but at the same time it was a statement of a goal. They needed to find Joey Matthews and they needed to find all those involved but more than that they needed to stop this story before Joe could write his own ending. "I think your agent might be the key to that. I want to plan another meeting between her and Joe for tomorrow." Joe had unfolded for Liette today in a way that he hadn't for anyone else. Even Claire had not been able to get a response from Joe and yet this young woman had him giving in.

"She won't like that." Parker sighed knowing that Liette had just become their pawn.

"I don't really care."


	7. Chapter 7 - Profiled

Liette woke up in a cold sweat. After four hours of going over the new Carroll case in the briefing room Parker had shown up to tell her to go to the hotel and get some sleep. Liette had naturally offered to stay up and work overnight with some of the others but Parker was adamant about getting her out of there. Liette was too tired to really protest. Flying had always taken some energy out of her but seeing Joe today had completely wiped her out. The beds in the hotel were terrible but she was so exhausted that the moment she hit the pillow she fell asleep.

_"Remind me again, what is your major?" Joe sat across from Liette at the small coffee table by the fireplace. The off campus cafe was a popular spot for students and professors alike. Liette felt a little odd at first sitting here with her professor but no one paid them any attention. This little corner of the world belonged to them right now and in all honesty that felt quite nice. Joe had ordered them both coffees before Liette had walked in. He had had wonderful timing because one she added milk and sugar the drink was at the perfect temperature._

_ "Psychology with a focus on criminology." she told him. Most of her other classes were seen as far more intense than the romantic literature course she was taking with Joe. She was learning about coping behaviors, prejudice, brain functions and personality. It was all rather fascinating to her. The science majors looked at psychology as a soft science but Liette saw otherwise. All science is fallible in some way just as all psychology is fallible. It ensures good research. _

_ "Fascinating. You really don't strike me as the brain and behavior type." Joe shook his head at her._

_ "No offense but that's because you've only seen me in your classroom." Liette knew how to switch her attitude for different classes. You didn't go all literal in a literature class; that missed the point. The idea of studying literature was to pick it apart and analyze it beyond what was there. Looking past even the hidden functions of words but the true meanings behind them. You had to see the working parts that made the whole and you had to understand the whole as what it could be in many different ways. Literature happened to be much more flexible than psychology._

_ "And the library," Joe reminded her._

_ "And the library...and here now." she smiled._

_ They exchanged a soft look. It was a genuine moment that had been rarely felt by Liette. Her mother happened to be the only other person who seemed to look at her with understanding and yet even she was lost on Liette at times. People treated the girl differently because of her genius-like tendencies. "You still seem like an English student to me or at least the liberal arts," he shook his head, breaking the moment. "It's disappointing really...if I get tenure soon I'd be looking for a PhD student."_

_ Was he really suggesting that he would have taken her in? He hardly knew her. She had been in seven weeks of his classes and seen him a few times outside of class but was that really enough to judge that she would be PhD worthy in a few years? It was flattering but at the same time Liette was a little bewildered by it. "I'm sure someone will come along," she shrugged, sipping on the coffee he had bought her._

_ "But gems like you are hard to find." he smiled, looking down at his own drink._

_ "Thank you professor." she blushed._

_ "Joe, Liette, please call me Joe."_

Liette awoke in a cold sweat. It was not a nightmare but it may as well have been. Her memories of her time with Joe swirled in her brain and made her sick to her stomach. She stumbled out of the bed and into the bathroom. Her body turned to face the mirror and she jumped back immediately. Her hands flew to her eyes to feel what she was seeing. They were gaping holes. The touch of her hands and a few extra blinks caused her to snap out of it. She was seeing things in fear. It had all already begun.

It was four am but Liette knew she wouldn't be getting back to sleep. A quick hot shower and coffee on the drive over would give her enough energy to make it through the day. Parker likely wouldn't be pleased with her for only staying at the hotel for five hours but Liette didn't see the point of her being away so long. If other people were going to work than she needed to work to.

Liette walked into the briefing room to find Hardy and Parker sitting at a desk going over some new files. They both looked up as the click of Liette's oxford heels hit the floor close to them. Parker stiffed and her hands immediately began shuffling papers. Liette's eyes were caught by the movement and it took her only a moment to notice her face on one of the pictures. "Are you profiling me?"

"Liette..."

"Debrah, I told you I'm not one of them." betrayal burned in Liette's blood. This was why they had sent her back to the hotel. They couldn't have her stay and work the case when they were going to be looking into her life. Clearly she was a conflict of interest. Liette just saw this as a violation of privacy. There were some things the bureau just didn't need to get into with her. Her personal life was the one thing she kept sacred because it was small and very intimate. Liette cringed as she saw pictures of herself with her mother on graduation and then again with her in her full FBI garb. Her mom had always been there and was the only person who had any hint of what Liette's relationship with Carroll had really been like. Liette hated the idea of them dragging her into this. Her mother had moved to Florida three years ago with Liette's step father. The two were happy there and Liette didn't want anyone destroying that. "So, what cryptic message did I give Joe while I was helping find your sister Hardy?"

"Don't act smart with me kid," Ryan stood and confronted her. He was just like every other bully Liette had faced before. Bullies were generally not inherently bad but they had these asinine authoritarian tendencies that made them difficult to deal with. Men like Ryan Hardy clashed with women like Liette. He was a man of action while she was a woman of logic. They would make a good pair if the combination of their personalities wasn't so explosive. It had been many years since Liette had been a teenage girl getting picked on in the hallway of her high school; she had learnt to stand up for herself a little.

"In case you haven't heard, I don't act smart." she growled at him "I am smart." she was suddenly confrontational. Parker had only seen this side of Liette a few times. It came out when things got to personal. When people attacked she held dear she tended to lash out. Debrah was pretty sure she knew exactly what triggered it. Liette seemed to have this fear that her occupation was going to hurt her family in some way; specifically her mother. She knew crime could happen to anyone but she was simply scared that being an FBI agent would be cause for some psychopath to target her mom. In this case Parker assumed Liette was worried someone from the cult was going to travel to florida to find Ms. Arnaut and use her as a pawn on Joe's side but Parker saw very little chance of that happening. From the attitude Joe had shown with Liette he didn't seem like he was moving towards hurting her.

Then again with Joe Carroll you could never be sure.

"This is a very different attitude than what I saw with Joe, agent." Ryan was practically laughing at her. He was profiling her reactions but he was forgetting that profiling a profiler hardly ever goes unnoticed.

"In case everyone forgot it is called acting into the criminal's fantasy to get what we need." Liette felt as if she had not done anything out of the ordinary. They had found Emily Hardy and they had saved her from certain death. That was what her meeting with Joe was supposed to be about. That was what her goal had been. Why had it all turned around to slap her in the face?

"You're quite good at that then. Had me fooled." Ryan shook his head at her.

"It is my job to be good." she protested.

"Is it also your job to have sex with serial killers?" Ryan's voice raised a little in confrontation. It took all of Liette's self control not to slap him for that. He wouldn't have cared; he was simply waiting to gage her reaction.

"I never slept with him!" she screamed at him. Parker was up from her seat as Liette's voice drew in all the attention in the room. The last thing she needed right now was a full out spat between these two. Whether Liette was telling the truth or not had yet to be seen but they needed her on their side if they were going to utilize her against Carroll again.

"Weston." Debrah beckoned Mike away from his computer. Mike had already been starting to stand up anyway. "Take Arnaut for a walk." Parker ordered.

"So much for sticking up for your team Debrah," Liette shook her head, clearly disgruntled and upset. Mike reached out to her but she tore away and marched out the door before he could touch her shoulder. He gave a quick nod to Parker and Hardy before following Liette out.


	8. Chapter 8 - Little Red

Weston seemed to keep getting the job of babysitting whoever was on the next tirade about Joe Carroll. It had naturally started with Hardy but now Liette was the target Parker wanted him to look after. Weston immediately felt that Hardy had been an easier task; at least he was just a hot head. Liette looked like she was on the verge of tears and Weston hated that. He hated watching anyone cry.

"Arnaut. Slow down." Mike said, chasing after her. She walked right out of the building and into the parking lot. It only took her a moment to get into the darkness of the morning before she started pacing. Mike imagined that if it were possible he would see the steam coming off of her right now.

"Did you hear what he just said to me?!" Liette spun around. She didn't like the fact that her boss had asked a fellow agent to escort her out but as long as Mike was here she was going to use him as someone to talk to.

"Hardy is...well, he's Hardy." Mike shrugged. Was there any other way to put it?

"That isn't even a real excuse." Liette snapped.

"Hey, don't bite my head off."

"They think I'm one of them Mike!" Liette's hands raked through her blonde hair in frustration. She didn't know what she could possibly do to make them think otherwise. "They think I'm his groupie or something," groupie was a terrible word but the sex accusation really had Liette raging. Her relationship with Joe had left the professional world but she had never slept with him. She did have morals. He had been married and he was her teacher; this meant he was strictly off limits.

"Well you kind of played nice with Joe Carroll, what did you want them to think?" Weston knew it was probably no good arguing her and yet the words left his mouth anyway. He was expecting her to trump him with some intelligible precedent or the notion that most people don't know when their friends are serial killers but that wasn't what Mike got back at all.

"I also knew Jacob Wells when he was Will Wilson, does that make me one of them?" Liette asked, throwing her hands in the air.

"Please tell me you've told Parker that." Mike groaned. The look on Liette's face told him that she hadn't. She just continued to blacken her own name. He could only imagine how badly Parker and Hardy were going to react to this new.

"I haven't had the chance to. She's either throwing me to the dogs or throwing me out." Liette defended her actions. She hadn't really thought too much about Will Wilson until she had seen his face on the board in the briefing room. She had made a mental note to tell Parker about him but then Parker had sent her home. She had tried to protest that but she forgot to use her information about Will as a reason why she needed to stay. That slip up was now going to get her in trouble.

"We need to go back in there." Mike nodded, grabbing Liette's wrist to pull her inside. They marched right back into the briefing room to find Debrah giving Ryan a small lecture about how there was no evidence to suggest that Liette had slept with Joe. She instantly silenced once she heard that other people had joined them.

"I thought I told you two to go for a walk," Parker said with a raise of her eyebrows.

"I knew Will Wilson. He worked at a coffee shop I went to all the time in Cambridge. He wasn't all that gay back then either. He slept with one of my housemates." Liette admitted. Parker's reaction showed how complicated this was. Her hands went to her face and she shook her head. Heels clicked on the ground as she began to pace a little but once again it was Hardy who decided to confront Liette.

"You knew Jacob Wells. Wells who has Joey Matthews. Wells who is teaching the kid how to kill and you didn't tell us?!" his voice escalated and it took all of Liette's courage to continue to stand up to him. She had gone through a significant proportion of her life without any consistent male figures so a strongly masculine type like Ryan could be terribly intimidating to her. She now worked with mostly men but sometimes Liette still found herself feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the ones who were hardest.

"In what five seconds between the two of you yelling at me was I supposed to do that?" Liette frowned.

"That's it. Conflict of interest, you're off the case." Parker made the call. This was too much. She was far too connected. They should have figured out all this information before they had given Liette to Carroll but there just hadn't been time.

"I never wanted on this case. I never wanted to see Joe Carroll again. You did this, not me." finally the tears came as she turned away. Mike caught her before she could leave the room. He grabbed her shoulders and slowly pulled her to him. Her face buried into his chest and he just shook his head. Carroll had the bureau turning against each other once again. This wasn't what they needed.

"I think everyone is a little emotional here, we're tired, so just stop for a minute and think please," Mike said softly. Liette continued to release more information to them about Carroll and that suggested to him that she wasn't part of it. She was a good enough liar that she could have hid it all but she kept giving them more and more to work with.

"He's right." Hardy sighed.

The room went sort of silent. Hardy's steady breathing mixed with the sound of Liette's jagged breaths. The hot head and the logical one. They could make such a team if only he would allow it. It was dangerous and he didn't like it. Trusting anyone these days was hard for Ryan. This young girl was so involved that it seemed trusting her would be impossible but he had to give her a chance. Joe wanted her around for a reason so clearly she was the key to something.

Liette turned away from Mike's protection; whispering a small thank you as her eyes connected with his. He always showed how good of a guy he was. Perhaps she had been wrong to flatly turn him down when she first came to the bureau. Either way, he helped settle her. Liette wiped away the last tear and then brought her eyes to look at Ryan. She could see it as well as he could. They needed to work together and not fight. That would be difficult. His accusation would likely be something Liette could hold a grudge about but it would have to be dealt with later.

"Can we close my file and open up Jacob's? Because I think I can add to it." she said, looking at them all. It was time to profile someone who they knew was involved with this instead of adding her in as a suspect.

Ryan nodded. "We need to get this done. I want her back in the room with Joe by five tonight." he said exchanging a look with Parker. Debrah nodded, agreeing with him. Building on Joe's trust with Liette was going to be vital to their plan to get ahead.

"What?" Liette asked, stepping slightly back towards Mike.

"We need you to talk to Joe again." Debrah nodded.

"Why'd he ask this time?" Lietted questioned.

"He didn't." Park said, closing the files they had had out on Liette. "We're giving you to him."

She had never felt like a piece of meat before but she now understood it. This must be how some girls felt when guys constantly went after them solely based on their looks. Liette had a feeling this was a little bit worse. It was like she was being packaged up and thrown in with a wolf. She was their own sick version of Little Red Riding Hood and Joe was her Wolf. It was sickly and frightening but Liette knew she had very little choice in all of this. Parker wanted this war with Joe Carroll and his followers over so clearly she had no issues jeopardizing the sanity of her own agent to see it done.


	9. Chapter 9 - Coffee Shop

"You're sure you never met Paul Torres." Debrah asked Liette for what seemed to be the fourth time. They were trying to put a timeline together to see when Paul and Jacob had actually been together. If their meetings had coincided just before moving in next to Sarah Fuller that would mean Torres had only been around for two years but Parker wanted to make sure he hadn't been involved for longer. They needed to understand each accolades history in order to predict their future.

"Let me see his picture again." Liette sighed. She studied the tanned young man and tried to see something she recognized. It was difficult. She had known Jacob four years ago when she was still at Harvard. Four years had changed her and she had forgotten much about anything that had happened in Cambridge. "Do you have a different picture?" Liette asked, tilting her head slightly. She had some sort of idea stirring in her head but she wasn't sure if it was real or if her mind was just playing tricks on her.

"No, why?" Parker asked.

Liette's eidetic memory was only good for things that she read. This made recalling faces difficult at times. She had never really been good at placing names with faces to begin with so this recall was difficult but there was something noteworthy here. "Well there was this guy. He came into the coffee shop a lot, whenever Will was working. All I remember was that he had curly brown hair and wore glasses...it could have been Paul but I'm not sure."

_ "Will are you ready to go?" Paul Torres was never late when it came to picking Jacob up from the coffee shop. He hated that he had to call him Will but it was getting easier and easier. Jacob always reminded him that it was for Joe. Paul still hadn't got to meet Joe, he had just been informed that the man would change his life. He'd finally get to meet Joe this weekend. Jacob had finally agreed to take him. Paul could have decided to go on his own but he had never been that type. He clung to Jacob most of the time. Paul still had his doubts about all this but Jake always seemed to talk him back into it._

_ "Yeah, just let me grab my bag from the back." Jacob nodded, tagging off the apron he had to wear as a barista. It would be nice to hang that up for the weekend and get to be himself. He knew becoming close to Liette Arnaut was very important to Joe and he was honored to be doing the task but sometimes he got lost in the line of who happened to be Will and who happened to really be Jacob._

_ "Alright I'll be right here." Paul nodded, tilting on his feet slightly._

_ If Jacob hadn't been involved Paul might have never agreed to this but he needed a friend. It was his last year of university at Harvard and he still felt like he only knew a handful of people. In a few months he would get to move to Virginia and meet the others. He was apparently the last to join but Jacob assured him that wasn't a problem._

_ "Did you fill the tank with gas?" Jacob asked as he came back out from the back changed and ready to go. Paul couldn't help but stare at the dark blue jeans and the tight white polo shirt that Jacob had put on. He always looked so good. In comparison Paul was very plain. His curly haircut suited a high school boy better than it did a university student and his glasses made him more invisible than ever. _

_ "Yeah of course, it's a long drive to Virginia. We'll probably have to stop anyway," Jacob nodded. He was looking forward to spending the long car ride with Jacob. Jake was usually pretty busy with work or trying to go see Emma but now they'd have some time to talk. Paul didn't have to feel like a hermit or an outsider. He'd have his friend and he'd be the only one to get his attention. _

_ "Li, I'll see you next week?" Jacob asked, trying to keep his connection with Liette. She was of Joe's interest but Jacob still knew very little about her. She only knew lies about him but that didn't matter. She was like Paul; she didn't have many friends. Li was sometimes hard to talk to but Jacob managed to find a way. He had tried using Joe as a conversation started once but she had immediately shied away from the topic. It had made him all the more curious to find out what was between her and Joe. He just hoped she hadn't hurt Joe in some way or she'd eventually have to pay._

_ "Yeah. Jamie's been asking about you by the way." Liette noted. Jamie had been Jacob's in. Unlike Liette Jamie was very easy to talk to and easy to do other things with. It had only taken one date to get the girl to bring him back to her house to show him off to the other girls. That was when he had first met Liette. Jacob had then gone on to have some mediocre sex and plant the seed that he needed to befriend Joe's little pet. _

_ "Of course she has." Jacob shook his head._

_ "Have you considered taking her out again?" Liette asked in the interest of her friend._

_ "Not interested. Sorry." Paul was glad to hear that. Jacob had told him about Jamie but he wasn't all that interested to hear. He heard Jacob talk about Emma enough so hearing about other girls was definitely bothersome. He wondered if it bothered Emma to know that her boy toy had hooked up with some college chick. _

_ "Whatever. She'll find someone else." Liette said passively. She wasn't terribly close with her roommates like some people were but she did try and help them out from time to time. "Where are you headed for the weekend?"_

_ "Virginia."_

_ "Oh." Liette froze slightly. She hadn't been back to Virginia since she had left. There was nothing there for her anymore. Cambridge had become her home and her professors here didn't try to befriend her while killing innocent girls._

_ "Going to meet a friend." Jacob clarified with a smile. _

_ "Well have a good time."_

"I can't be sure, I'm sorry." Liette sighed.

Ryan had been hoping they would get more out of this. Jacob had been part of Liette's past just as he had been involved with Sarah. They had connected the dots that once Liette had joined the FBI it had become clear that Jacob couldn't follow her anymore. That was when the switch had been made and Jacob and Paul had become at item and eventually moved in next to Sarah. Sarah. If the FBI had never scooped up Liette than maybe Joe would have never been able to get Sarah again. Blaming Liette for Sarah's death was a little bit harsh but it was a scenario that Hardy couldn't keep out of his head.

"Well Joe clearly used Will to keep tabs on you, we know that much." Parker said simply. "It's how he knew so much when you went in the first time." it was slightly reassuring to know Liette hadn't somehow sneakily updated Joe on her own. She was as innocent as Parker had assumed in the first place.

"He liked having that power. He liked knowing that he had kept you despite you keeping your distance. What if we took that away?" Hardy suggested. Joe didn't like when people broke his rules. He had already thrown Joe off by not killing Jordy so another wrench in Joe's delicately laid plan could be interesting.

"How?" Liette asked.

"We make up a major life event that Joe never heard about. He'll be frustrated that Will missed something so important." Hardy suggested.

"Like what?" Liette couldn't think of what they could possibly come up with. He knew about her degrees, he knew about her job, what else was there? Of course she missed the obvious. Her personal life would be of interest to Joe but Liette rarely thought about her social life. How much did she really do outside the bureau? Not much. Liette liked to read but much of her life really revolved around her job. But that didn't mean they couldn't make something up. It was Parker who saw where this was going. She knew exactly what lie they needed to fabricate.

"We say you're engaged."


	10. Chapter 10 - Parker's Puppet

Liette had dated all of four people in her twenty eight years of life and those relationships had amounted to nothing. Her last boyfriend had been the clerk at the bookstore she went to once a week. That had lasted all of three months. Liette still had a hard time trusting people so she often fell flat in relationships. This was why she liked to work a lot. Her social ties never amounted to much.

"I can't do this. It won't work. He'll never believe it." she was panicking already. Joe would see the lie the moment it left her mouth. He would start to look at her differently and he wouldn't want to talk to her anymore. For some reason that bothered Liette. Joe would shut her out if he saw her as purely an agent trying to take him down. She wanted to stop him but a lie this big was just too much.

"You need to make him believe it." Parker said firmly. She needed strong agent Liette Arnaut but this girl was bending. Her instability was infuriating at times. Parker just wanted her to do as she was told. She needed Liette to be the chess piece the could lead to Carroll's unravelling.

"I can't."

"She can't." Hardy said harshly. He understood why Parker wanted to use Arnaut in this way but he also saw the flaw in the plan now. He looked at Liette and knew she wasn't ready. She was a puppet in all of this but she was only capable of so much. Joe was a psychopath but he was also a brilliant man. "Look at her, she can't do this. She was practically shaking to death the last time she confronted Joe. That big of a lie will never work." he was saving her from being thrown in unprepared but at the same time he wasn't being all that kind about her abilities either.

"Besides, he's already saw me wearing this...he knows what it means." Liette said, holding up the hand with her claddagh ring on it. It seemed like such an insignificant think but to them it wasn't.

_ "That ring you wear is beautiful." Joe said as he sat with Liette on another one of their Sunday meetings. Professors were not supposed to have favorite students but this had become inevitable. They met now at least once a week to talk about anything and everything. They talked about class, about his book, about anything really. Joe always seemed to push more personal topics but Liette often brought them back to literature. _

_ "Thank you, my mother bought it for me for graduation last year." she said, spinning the silver claddagh ring once around her finger. She rarely took it off. It was one of those sentimental pieces the she actually liked._

_ "Do you know the significance of the claddagh ring?" Joe asked, the smile on his face suggesting that he knew the significance behind it. Of course he did. The claddagh was a romantic piece of jewelry with so much symbolism and heart. It was just the type of thing Joe loved._

_ "Not exactly. I know you're supposed to wear it a specific way but I haven't looked it up yet." Liette shrugged. It was just a ring how much could it matter?_

_ Joe shifted slightly in his seat across from Liette. He leaned forward with the intent of getting closer. The space between them lessened and he waited for a moment before reaching over to take her hand."May I?" he asked politely, simply waiting for her nod to pull her arm closer. His fingers touched the silver of the ring and his eyes gleamed in the metal reflection. Liette watched his stare for a moment and then looked down to their hands. There was a warmth there that felt so new. It was comfortable in an odd way."The way you have it now signifies an open heart looking for love." he spoke softly. His eyes then drifted up from the ring and caught Liette's. She blushed slightly and broke their contact."You're not in a relationship are you?" he asked._

_ "I'm not." she answered almost too quickly._

_ "Then I suppose you're wearing it correctly. Your heart is open." He almost always sounded like a poet. He talked in a way that was unusual for most men. It was what really drew Liette in. She had really come to like these Sunday afternoons with Joe. It gave her a break from her hectic school schedule and it gave her someone to talk to. Still, Liette always wondered why he did this. He probably had friends his own age so spending his Sunday afternoons with her seemed to odd._

"I still think this plan could work if you really try." Parker frowned. She had thought her idea was wonderful. Carroll would be extremely jealous to find out that the women in his life didn't seem to need him. First Claire and now his little friend.

"He knows me too well." Liette shook her head.

"How well does he know you Arnaut? You haven't really specified." Parker snapped.

Debrah Parker only got like this when she was frustrated. Liette had always liked her boss but moments like these made Liette shy away from her. Debrah was a tough woman and she was a strong authority figure. You didn't get that far in the FBI without being hard. It was a rough place for a woman. The bureau was still overflowing with men and many of them still believed that girls didn't have a place in their boy's club.

Defining her relationship with Joe was tricky. She didn't like this invasion of her privacy and she definitely didn't like accessing memories that she had tried to forget about. She had even gone to therapy for a little while in hopes that it would help her to let go. It had helped but all this was truly setting her back. She could hardly sensor her thoughts about Joe anymore. He was always there and what he did was always present. She remembered the Joe she knew and then the Joe she had found out about at once. The profiles were conflicting and hurtful.

She spoke slowly, careful of what she gave them. She wasn't trying to hide anything but she also didn't want them profiling her again. "He was my friend...at the time I suppose he was my best friend...I had trouble finding anyone else." she bit her lip. That last bit of information had been too much. She made herself sound desperate. Perhaps at the time she was but she had never been desperate enough to believe in killing people as art.

"You really don't help your own case at all." Parker shook her head.

Liette immediately felt the need to defend herself. "I'm not one of them. I was just as surprised as anyone to find out Joe did what he did. Why do you think I've avoided it for the past ten years?" Her eyes shifted from Parker to Hardy. She needed him to understand. She needed him so see that this was way beyond her. Joe had been a good man at one point or he had at least pretended to be. Just because Liette had seen his good side did not mean she would follow him to the dark side. "I could never face the fact that my friend...the man I spent time with every week was spending his other hours killing girls my age. Sarah Fuller was in my class. You sat there Hardy, don't think I don't remember that. Did you think he was the type of man who would do such a thing?"

In that moment she had challenged Ryan. He couldn't deny what she was saying. He had already told Parker that Carroll had tricked him. Joe was good at that. He had come off as the type of man you wanted to be around. He was filled with charisma. Even now Ryan saw how easy it must have been for Joe to find people to worship him. Perhaps Liette truly wasn't one of them. Maybe she had just been as blind as he had been.

"She's right. Carroll played everyone. I was in his home and I had no idea." Ryan swallowed hard. He would need a drink after all this. "We need a different lie." They needed something Liette could work with; something that Joe would actually believe.

"What if you just let me go back in there and talk to him candidly," Liette suggested.

"You think that'd be a good idea?"

"Wouldn't you be surprised if I went in there without an angle? It could throw him off." it was a small idea but it would be worth a try. She didn't know exactly what she could pull from Joe but maybe he'd tell her something important. They needed more information to understand him and all that he had planned. So much of this was for Ryan but they needed to figure out the how not the why. "It's really all we've got right now."

The silence showed everyone's thoughts. They weighed the pros and cons and then finally Parker spoke. "I think you need to tone down your FBI presence. Go buy some new clothes...something you would have worn in school."

"You want me to dress like my nineteen year old self?" Liette' eyebrows raised. It sounded kind of perverse to her and she didn't like the idea. She had grown up a lot since then. Her wardrobe consisted of a lot of black now. Blazers, dress pants, white shirts. Liette thought it all made her look more professional. In school she had wore a lot of sundresses and skirts even. It would be weird to go back to that.

"Aged but similar. Play into his fantasy." Parker shrugged.

"I'm sounding more and more like bait by the minute."

"Liette." Parker sighed. Her puppet wasn't very cooperative.

"I'll do it. I don't like it...but I'll do it."


	11. Chapter 11 - Like Old Times

It was nine in the evening. Joe had just opened the collection of Poe that Parker had brought him. He was very thankful to have this. It was his company in this lonely cell. Solitary confinement had been the only option for him so now he only had Poe for company. That was until the guards came in again.

"Who do I get to see this time?" Joe asked the two male guards who guided him out of the cell. It was amazing to him that they would only send two. Look how many he had killed on his first escape. Of course Joe had no plans of escaping just yet. He liked being in here. There was a certain power that came along with having access to the FBI. Seeing Hardy's face was enough to keep Joe happy.

"Quiet Carroll. Just keep walking." the blonde haired guard growled.

They definitely weren't fans of him here; not like Jordy had been or like the others. The others would never dare talk to him like that. People here were so hostile. It was very amusing. He had such a way with some people but these ones didn't want to look him in the eye. They were frightened and angry. Most of them covered their fear by being aggressive but Joe knew it was a defense mechanism.

Sitting down in the interrogation room was becoming a routine. He was happy things had gone better since his first time in here. Ryan breaking his fingers hadn't been Joe's favorite moment. The man lashing out at him had become something to reveal in but it had hurt like a bitch at the time.

He was shackled in and the guards left but it was only a moment later when the door opened. Joe's lips curved into a true smile. While he had no problem taunting Ryan or Parker he was very please with who had just walked through the door. Ryan would always come back but Joe had worried that Liette's promise wasn't true. He had worried she would take off after their first meeting but instead she was here. He hoped this meant she would give him a chance. He wanted to make her see that he wasn't so bad. Maybe she could be one of them. Joe was positive he could treat her better than the FBI did. He would ensure that she was treated exactly how she deserved to be.

Liette already felt uncomfortable in this room once more but she tried to mask it. She was smiling in hopes that it could hide her true feelings. The smile was small but it was enough to catch Joe's attention. She moved slowly. She felt like prey and in reality that was what she was. They really didn't know Joe's fascination with her but he did seem caught by the blonde woman. She sat down across from him and his eyes did not leave her for a moment. At this point in time no one else mattered. Joe knew that Hardy and Parker would be watching the video feed but right now all he cared about was Liette.

"You're back so soon." he said in the softest voice. He felt his tongue slip over the words as if they were caught in his mouth. She had him in a trap all over again. She looked like her old self as opposed to FBI agent she had become. This was the Liette he had known not the one he had simply heard about from Jacob.

"I promises you'd see me again." she reminded him.

"It is good to see the FBI hasn't turned you into a liar." he grinned. Part of her still wanted to like him. He could feel it. They had had such a bond. She had been young and trusting; much like Emma. But Liette had pureness that Emma Hill did not. Liette had been hurt by people and yet she didn't seek revenge she just sought to better herself. Joe had fantasized about the day she would come to visit him in jail but it never happened. He had not had the chance to make him one of his followers but part of him wondered if it would have been possible. "I've always appreciated your honesty."

"Even though you never gave me yours." Liette couldn't help but let the bitter comment slip from her lips. She looked down cursing herself in her head for that move. She was supposed to be playing nice with Joe.

"I was true with you Liette...I didn't tell you what I had been doing but you never asked." he reminded her. Would he have been truthful had she asked if he had killed those girls? Who knows. Why would she have asked that? The Poe connection was about the only thing that you could be easily linked to him. Joe decided not to worry too much about it. He could understand how Liette had felt betrayed but he wanted to move on.

He decided to draw his attention to the deep red sundress she was wearing. She had had one like it when she was younger but it had been strapless whereas this one had shoulders. He remembered her wearing it in April when they had sat outside together in the quad. She had told him that day that she was going to be staying at school for the spring and summer sessions. She wanted to finish her degree early. Such a brilliant mind. It had made Joe happy. If she had left she would have been flying off to Florida to be with her mother. He had got to keep her and those lovely afternoons that they spent together. "You look radiant."

"Orange isn't exactly your best color," Liette joked, trying to be somewhat casual with Joe. She was trying to make up for sounding so bitter. She needed him to be candid with her so he would slip up on something.

"I'd gladly go back to my real clothes if they'd let me," he shrugged. "So...what can I do for you?" he had to wonder what spin Hardy and Parker had sent her in here for. He didn't trust the idea that she came here on her own.

"I just want to talk...like we used to." Liette was doing her best to play on nostalgia. She had pushed her bangs across her face and worn this dress all for Joe. It was supposed to be like old times. Liette remembered the day in April just as well as Joe. That was why she had picked the dress.

"About what?" Joe asked.

"I don't know...I don't even know where to begin." her laugh was nervous but he found it endearing. Dear Liette, the girl with such a big brain but not the greatest social graces. Slow to warm up and so shy at first. She didn't need to be shy with him. They were dear old friends; she just needed to remember that.

"Jacob told me you were happy at Harvard," Joe led.

"I was." Liette nodded "It's an amazing school."

He had not been at all surprised to find out that she had transferred. There were too many memories for her in Virginia; too much pain. This was where they had talked, where they had laughed and where they had felt together. It was a bittersweet memory for both of them but it hurt Liette more than it did Joe. He could be here and not feel pain whereas she felt pain and terror.

"You really didn't take another literature course?" he asked and when she shook her head he sighed. "Such a waste of your talent." She had been a brilliant student. He could have taught her so much more had he had the chance. Maybe she would have come around to see his full vision. Maybe she still could.

"They were happy to have me in psychology." she shrugged.

"Of course they were. I always told you that you were brilliant." his pride for her lingered on after all these years. She had always made him proud. Every time Jacob had messaged him with details about her accomplishments Joe had been filled with pride. At least she was still going. Sarah Fuller had kept going to but her story had needed an ending. "All those details you told me...inspiring." he added.

"Joe." Liette cringed. She knew he could be connecting to talk about some of his plans but she couldn't stomach the idea that she had inspired him. She had talked about her other classes with him from time to time. What if he had used her talks to shape his killing? What if she had been a bigger part of this than she had ever realized.

"I'm sorry. That was insensitive." Joe swallowed hard. He had a weakness for those sad eyes. He twitched slightly. Liette being around brought something up in him. She had appeared so differently the first time but now Joe was really starting to notice it. Old feelings were drawing up from inside of him. "Old times." he nodded, promising to be good.

"Please."

Joe took a moment to think about where to lead them. He wasn't about to give Liette any information about the followers or his son. That was what the FBI wanted. He didn't want this to be about the FBI. That seemed silly considering the fact that he was talking to an agent but he just couldn't classify Liette by her job. She was just Liette.

His hands reached out like that had long before but the handcuffs stopped him from touching her. Liette kept her hands on the table between them because she knew he couldn't reach. His eyes went down to his own. Trapped. He was kept from her by silly metal contraptions. Brown eyes flickered back up and then fell upon her ring. That was something they could talk about.

"Your heart is still open. You still haven't found anyone." he observed.

"I've tried...it hasn't been easy." she said, excusing herself from the issue. She hadn't really tried too hard. She had pretty much doomed every relationship she had ever tried to have. She had had extra trust issues since she had found out about Joe but Liette blamed it on other factors. She saw herself as plain and boring despite all arguments against that. "I'm not exactly every man's dream." she reminded him.

"Then they're dreaming wrong."

Watching this sick play was annoying Parker. Liette was a good profile but she had missed an opportunity to talk about the murders. Instead they had brought the conversation to a personal and disturbing new level. "This isn't doing anything for us. This is just Carroll's sick was of flirting with her." Parker said, shaking her head as she watched the monitors. The conversation between Joe and Liette wasn't helping. Debrah was beginning to think she should have pushed the engagement fantasy a little harder.

"Give it a bit more time." Hardy said, knowing they had nothing else to go on.

"People never look at me the way you do." Liette said, her eyes glancing down at the table. There was embarrassment in her tone. She was reminiscing. That was exactly what Joe wanted. If she could remember his as he had been then maybe he could sneak up on her. He could bring her back to him.

"It's a shame...it really is." he said, watching her. She was something so wonderful to look at. It amazed him that such brilliance was wrapped up in such a shell. He couldn't help himself. He was captivated and it made him want to share something with her. He wanted her to know just how much he cared. "Do you remember the last time? When you came to my office after class?" he reminded her.

"You know I remember Joe. How could I forgot?"

"Something else she's hidden from us." Parker sighed. What could it be this time?

"That was the night I tried to kill Sarah Fuller." his eyes glanced away from Liette to look into the security camera. Ryan was watching and he needed to hear this. Both Ryan and Parker leaned forward at Joe's words. This was the important note. This could give them something to work on. But that wasn't how Joe saw it. It was just another sick plot twist in his new story. A little literary device that he had been hiding up his sleeve the whole time. "What you said to me that day... I couldn't stop thinking about it...and well, you're the reason I screwed up." Liette's hands suddenly pulled back from the table. She hadn't expected this. "You're the reason Hardy was able to stop me."


	12. Chapter 12 - The Cage

"I want her out of there now!" Ryan was out of the room before Debrah could stop him. Parker just sat there stunned. Everything seemed to freeze for Debrah. Every moment gave them more and more information about Liette that she just didn't want to hear. Carroll's every word implicated the girl. Now they had a vocal confession that Liette had somehow influenced Carroll's actions. None of them had any idea how but that was now something they needed to figure out.

Joe was trying to understand the look on Liette's face but it was so hard to read. He saw a sense of betrayal there but also doubt and guilt. Her emotions would likely be driving her crazy but Joe had needed her to know. He had needed to tell her just how important she was. She had come in here looking like her old self and that had triggered something in him. He had needed to be honest about it all. If he had only told her then.

Ryan burst through the interrogation room doors and grabbed Liette by the wrist. He wasn't sure what to believe but he knew he had to put an end to this. He was truly wavering back and forth about his trust with this girl. Joe's followers could be anyone. Liette was becoming harder and harder to rule out.

"Well hello Ryan, come to join us?" Joe asked calmly. Inside he was stirring. His eyes fell upon the type grip that Ryan had on Liette's wrist. It bothered him. Ryan wasn't allowed to hurt Joe's things; it was only the other way around in Joe's mind. Ryan had to be the broken hero. Carroll had to be the villain. This was the new classic tale.

"Arnaut out." Ryan said, yanking on her arm.

"No. I deserve to hear this." Liette's eyes stayed on Joe. She fought against Hardy's hand but he was stronger. She had never been the toughest girls. She was good with a gun and that was about all that had to defend herself as an FBI agent. They told you in training that you don't need a gun to kill someone but Liette knew she stood little chance without one. She could hardly break out of the hold Ryan had on her wrist.

"I said out!" he shouted, dragging her up from her seat and pushing from towards the door. Liette didn't have much of an option, her feet stumbled out of the room and she soon felt the door slam up against her.

Ryan's hands were on the table and he was right in Joe's face. His face was hard and his breath was heavy. Joe liked seeing this reaction. He had wanted to play with Liette a little longer but taunting Ryan could be fun as well. Hardy's intrusion had actually snapped Joe back to some sort of reality. He realized it was too early in the book to give it all away. This was a nice little preview for the reveals he would make later on. He had confessions that would really get the audience riled up. This was only the beginning. "What did she say to you that day? What did she say that made you screw up? Why Arnaut? What is it about her?" Ryan shouted in Joe's face.

Joe had the answers to all of Ryan's questions but he didn't want to make this easy. "I think you should be asking her some of these questions Ryan. This is all very personal, wouldn't want to tell you anything without her permission." his smile was smooth. He was such a trickster. He knew Ryan would love nothing more than to just kill him at this point but that would accomplish nothing. There were others out there who would work harder if he died. The cult ensured his safety with Ryan. "I'd like to go back to my room now. I don't want to talk to you at this moment." Joe shrugged.

"You don't get to decide." he was sick of Joe calling the shoes. The man was in jail and yet he seemed to be getting everything that he wanted. That wasn't how it was supposed to work. Ryan was just so sick of watching Carroll walk all over people like he had once done to him. Ryan wanted to beat Carroll at his game and he wanted to do it quickly. There was no need to draw this out again. The past ten years had been hell for him all because of this one man. They needed to be able to drop this for good.

"I have nothing else to say." Joe said simply.

"Why her Carroll?" Ryan demanded again.

Ryan was shouting at him but Joe was completely calm. He knew that just made Ryan more angry. The less bothered Joe seemed about anything the more agitated Ryan would be. Joe liked when Ryan got agitated; it pleased him. Ryan could be such an aggressive fellow and Joe was most pleased when the man let it all out. "Goodnight Ryan." Joe whispered.

The interrogation room door flung open once more. Parker and Weston had decided that this entire thing had gone sour on them. Parker wanted it over with. Joe needed to go back to his cell and he needed to stay there for a while. Contact with Liette, Hardy or anyone else would be out of the question unless they needed him. This was not working in their favor. No matter who they put up against Joe in the interrogation room he always seemed to win. He held the ace of every hand. For a man in prison he was incredibly lucky.

"Hardy. Out. Now." Parker barked.

"Goodbye Ryan."

There was no point in protesting. Parker was going to shut it down like she did most things and Joe had decided he didn't walk to talk. Ryan pushed himself up off the table and exited the room. He slammed the door behind him. "What exactly do you think you just accomplished?" Parker asked him but Ryan was on a whole new warpath. Liette had moved a few feet down the hall and had been waiting for instructions. Ryan quickly closed the space between them and shoved her into the wall. Liette's right shoulder hit hard against the concrete cinderblocks. She cried out but before she could say anything Ryan was questioning her.

"What did you say to him!? What did you say to him that was so important!?" Joe had told him to ask her so that was exactly what he was going to do. If Liette wanted to keep them convinced that she wasn't one of his accolades then she would have to start telling the truth.

"Hardy let her go!" Parker ordered. They were crumbling from the inside because of Joe again. She really didn't need people on the same side attacking each other. Actually she didn't need anyone attack each other. Even if it turned out that Liette had been lying the whole time and was part of this Parker knew there were other ways of handling her. Hardy seemed to be on a breaking bones rampage but Debrah knew it was a bad idea.

"Get off of me!" Liette cried out, squirming against Hardy's weight.

"You're going to tell us everything, not portions of it. Everything." he demanded. He was sick of her keeping things from them. There were important details about Joe that she kept leaving out. She was strategically only telling them certain things and Ryan was fed up with that. They were getting nowhere with this. They needed the whole story or they'd keep looking like surprised idiots every time Joe pulled something new out of his hat. They needed to get ahead of him but Liette was keeping them behind.

She cried out again as his arm pressured into her collarbone but Weston and Parker quickly tore him off. Liette was backing away, scared of what had just happened. She had been bewildered by Joe's words and now Hardy was attacking her. It was all so distorted in her head. Somewhere along the lines things had been lost in translation and she didn't know how to get it back. Her mind kept going back to that last day that she went to visit Joe but she didn't want to talk about it.

"Hardy take a walk. Weston, go with him." Parker barked. They needed to be separated. Hopefully Weston could calm Hardy down while Parker found out what the hell was going on with Liette. The lies had to end.

Once Hardy was out of the hallway Liette began to walk in the opposite direction. She didn't want to be out here when they moved Joe back to his cell and she didn't want to worry about Hardy coming back. Unfortunately Parker had no intentions of letting her leave. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To put some ice on my shoulder." Liette said quickly.

"First you can tell me what the hell that was all about." the demand was nicer coming out of Debrah's mouth than it had been coming from Hardy but it was still an order that Liette didn't agree with. She didn't like the idea of the FBI profiling her because of what she had been ten years ago. She was a completely different young woman.

"This is my personal life Debrah, this is my past!" she reminded her.

"And it is Carroll's too. I want to know everything." it was asking a lot but Parker didn't find it unreasonable like Liette did.

"This is a breach of my privacy!"

"Do you want more people to die Liette!? It'll be on your hands."

"Like you think the others already were." her eyes narrowed and her jaw hardened. She had thought she had earned their trust and yet Parker was so quickly back to assuming that Liette was somehow involved. It was unnerving to get ostracized for all these crimes that Liette had never committed. "I'm done talking to you. I want off this case." she wanted away from Parker, Hardy and Joe. She'd go back to Quantico and do desk work if she had to. Anything had to be better than all this harassment.

"Officer arrest her." Parker saw no other choice. Liette wasn't going to talk on her own so they needed to make her talk. Getting her drunk would likely not lead to the truth so at east if they arrested her they'd have some pull in the matter.

"On what grounds!?" Liette reacted.

"Accessory to murder." Parker said; her voice cold and clean.

"I didn't do anything!" Liette shouted. Her voice was raised but that was natural. She was about to get arrested for something that she had never been a part of. She had been his student an his friend but she had never known about the murders.

"Then tell me what you said to him!"

"Debrah you've gone mad." Liette knew she could get out of this situation quite quickly if she just told the story of what happened between her and Joe that day but at the same time it was a very rough memory for her and it was something she would have liked to leave alone. She didn't need it to be studied or analyzed. She knew that Parker would want to script everything that Liette could remember about that day to use it against Joe but that seemed like an invasion of her privacy.

"Cuff her." Parker said to the guards "I can't trust you Liette. You know too much if you're one of them so until you're honest with us this is what has to be done." Parker said harshly. She had no doubt that there would be lawyers all over this by the morning but for now it was a scare tactic. Hardy kicking the crap out of Liette didn't seem like a good idea but if they could put the girl in solitary confinement for the night maybe she would learn to stop lying.

As if it was a show three guards led Joe out of the interrogation room just in time to see the silver shackles go around Liette's wrists. The tears that fell from her face tore into him like knives. He struggled slightly against his own chains. He had hurt his innocent little dove. He had caged his bird with his confession.


	13. Chapter 13 - News Flash

The white cinderblocks of her room where cold and uncaring. The large metal door kept her from the world as if she was a danger from it. For the past four years she had helped put men and women in these cells but they had all deserved. They had been killers, rapists and pedophiles. She was none of these things. She wasn't even what Parker seemed to think she was.

All because of Joe.

Liette had spent the first hour in this cell crying. She couldn't seem to stop. It was suffocating and painful to be here. Internally she struggled with her decision. All she had to do was buzz the guard outside and she'd be allowed out. She'd then have to tell Parker the story of the conversation she had with Joe the night Sarah Fuller was attack. She had a choice between opening up her life to the FBI or remaining in this cell for a maximum of forty eight hours. A bureau lawyer would be called and Liette had a feeling that lawyer would be distraught by the internal misconduct that had just occurred within a team.

But that didn't make Liette feel any better about where she was.

"Throwing her in a cell was a little much." Hardy said as he came back to hear about what had just happened. He had calmed down and no longer wanted to strangle Liette for her secrets. She was just a foolish girl. He was working himself up way too much over her. He was letting Joe win by getting emotional like this. A few swigs from his water bottle had calmed his nerves a little bit. It was better than punching a wall in Ryan's opinion.

"At least I put her on her own." it was Parker's way of justifying what she did. Liette was just locked up in a solo cell but no one had access to her. No one was going to attack her for being FBI. They couldn't harass, rape or kill her while she was locked up on her own. Parker hadn't thrown her to the wolves. Not this time. This was all she had to keep thinking about in hopes to make herself feel better about her decision.

Once Hardy had returned inside Mike had returned to his computer to keep digging. That was when a news bulletin flashed up on his screen. Liette's picture was shown in front of a newsman and a blaring headline that didn't look like good news.

"Parker! Hardy! You need to come in here!" Mike shouted.

_"The FBI had arrested one of their own agents. Special Agent Liette Arnaut was arrested today after an interview with Carroll that had revealed her as a possible accomplice." _

"How do they know that? This all happened from the inside." Hardy could feel his heart pumping again. His pacemaker was going to get worn out if he didn't calm himself down more often. This was all a lot for him. This case had ruined his life before and now it was threatening to tear down everything he had left. He wasn't much of a man anymore but he still had some pride. He was still the one who had caught Carroll the first time. Joe and his followers were trying to take that all away from him now. Hardy couldn't afford to let that happen. "Someone here is one of Joe's. This was a message to the followers."

"Joe probably told everyone nothing could happen to Liette. This won't be good news for us." Weston frowned. Liette was certainly a problematic issue. Bringing her into this case had no doubt saved Emily Hardy's life but after that her presence had become quite the nuisance.

"I want who was in this area within the past hour on lock down. Anyone who could have heard what happened is not leaving this facility." Parker said firmly. Joe was constantly one upping them. She was tired of it. They were the goddamn FBI and they were being made out to be rookie cops. This unit had been responsible for the take down of the countries most prolific serial killers and yet Joe Carroll was getting away with everything he wanted to; from the inside. "We can't keep letting him control us. She stays in custody." Parker added. While letting Liette out of solitary would solve the issue with the press it would not get them anywhere. For the next forty eight hours they needed to crack down hard.

"I'd like to talk to her." Hardy requested.

"I don't think that is such a good idea." Parker denied his request immediately.

"I'm not going to hurt her Parker." Ryan rolled his eyes. Debra Parker clearly had some trust issues. Ryan also suspected she had major problems with men. This wouldn't be surprising. Debra held a position that was coveted by mainly men and there were likely many agents who whispered about her not deserving the role. Still, Ryan was getting annoyed with her mistrust.

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure she could file assault charges against you already." Parker said, clearly referring to the little show that had happened just moments before. It had only been an hour since Hardy had thrown Liette from the interrogation room and then preceded to back her up against the wall. Hot-head was putting it lightly when it came to Ryan Hardy. He was so much more than that.

"What if I talked to her?" Weston suggested. He really hadn't spent too much time with Liette lately one on one but he was one of the only people here who hadn't really attacked her about her involvement with Joe. He had tried to be Switzerland in this situation just like he was when it came to Parker and Hardy. Weston could be on whatever side needed him. Maybe right now Liette was the one who could use his help. "She's not going to talk to you...and well she's no doubt pissed at Hardy. No offense." Mike shrugged looking at Ryan. They all knew he was right. The media was going to tear them a new one with this story so they needed to get as much out of Liette as they could in the shortest about of time.

"It's worth a shot."


	14. Chapter 14 - Narcissus

Joe sat in his cell, trying to focus on Poe's words but nothing was helping his nerves. Why had they arrested Liette? This was wrong, this was all wrong. This wasn't how the chapter was supposed to go. Parker was messing with his message. She was ruining everything. It was in this moment that Joe wished he was outside of prison so he had more control. He would have gladly ended Debra Parker's life himself. That ungrateful trollop. Liette was everything. She was going to be the most brilliant agent the BAU had ever seen and yet Parker was throwing her in a cell like a common criminal.

Standing on the left side of his room Joe put his hand on the wall as if he could sense Liette was close. She could be anywhere in this prison. Joe doubted that they would put her so close to him but just the idea had his mind reeling. They couldn't keep her locked up for long but he wanted her out now. It was already driving him mad. If she blamed him for this it would set them back. She wouldn't listen anymore. She would be lost to him.

Joe couldn't have that.

"Guys we're in shit." Jacob said as his eyes watched the news. They were replaying the announcement that an FBI agent had been arrested in association to the Carroll case. The group had laughed about the idea at first until Liette's name was mentioned.

"Little bitch." Emma cursed.

"Don't call her that," Jacob said, sitting up straight. He didn't like fighting with Emma but blaming Liette for her own arrest wasn't going to get them anywhere. This was a wrench in the plan but instead of whining about it they needed to get organized and figure out how they were going to work around this. Leaving Liette in prison didn't seem like a good idea. The longer she was caged the unhappier Joe would be.

"What did you just say?" Emma turned. She had never liked being told what to do and while she loved Jacob she was getting a little sick of him standing against her. He was always defending that idiot Paul and now he apparently had a new person to defend.

"She's not a bitch." Jacob said softly.

"Do you have a crush on her or something?" Emma shot at him.

"No." Jacob's denial was immediate. He had no interest in Liette. She had sort of been a friend but it was nothing past that. "It's just...she's Joe's. He wouldn't want you to talk like that about her." he reminded Emma.

"Joe isn't here. It doesn't matter. None of it does." Paul interrupted. They had wanted him to stay upstairs with Joey Matthews but there was no point. The kid was watching television and Paul wanted to be kept in the loop. They still had his little 'girlfriend' in the basement to take care of but with the media presentation Paul got the feeling dealing with this whole Liette thing was going to become top priority. She was crucial to Joe's plot line.

"It will matter. This isn't part of the plan." Jacob frowned.

"She'll be out soon enough." Emma shrugged. She had never met Liette but Joe's fascination with the girl upset Emma a little bit. It took Joe's attention of off her. She liked to think she was Joe's favorite; she had been around the longest. "The coverage was probably just a warning from Finn. He wants us to know he'll be delayed with his next task. He'll take care of it." what were they supposed to do for Joe's little student from here? Their faces were all over the news and Paul had already risked going into public once. They couldn't leave this property. They would just have to trust that Finn would get the job done.

Robert Finn was not an idiot like Jordy Raines but they shared the same law enforcement background. The difference was that Jordy had been a correctional officer roped in by Joe whereas Finn had become a cop for Joe. Joe had known Jordy was only good for so much. The bastard had been so small minded. Finn wasn't like that. He was a chameleon. He could be whatever Joe needed him to be. He knew eventually his place in the justice system would not be appropriate but Joe would have other uses for him.

Like Joe, Finn was a charming man with dark hair and a classic smile. His blue eyes were captivating and his rich boy upbringing had taught him how to present himself in the best way possible. Girls swooned over him. Guys wanted to be him. But Finn didn't want anything to do with any of them. He was a casebook narcissist. A person who thought he was better than everyone else. He even thought he was better than Joe. Joe was just a means to be part of something great without having to get locked up in prison. Finn was positive he would never be caught and he certainly had no plans on dying for Joe like the rest of them.

He had joined the cult for power not security. He was an odd case and if anyone was ever smart enough to catch him he'd make for an amazing study. The man who didn't need a cult but joined one anyway. It seemed like a smart move to Finn, as ridiculous as that seemed.

His anonymous call to the media had been directed by Joe's orders. As he and two other officers had led the killer back to his cell the man had looked at them and said a few words. _"What would the public have to say about the FBI arresting one of their own agents? Ridiculous."_ It was a cue. The other officers had just seen it as ramblings of a very deranged and sick man. To them Joe was just tormenting them all some more. That wasn't what Finn had heard. Joe wanted the media to know and therefore he called in an anonymous tip and released the story. The others would know what was going on and Joe would get his message out. People would go into a panic. It was just ironic because there was a mole within the case; they had just locked up the wrong one.

"Has she said anything?" Debra approached Robert Finn with a sour look on her face. Finn was assigned to stand by Liette's door in case the agent decided she wanted out. So far there had not been a sound. Finn had heard her crying for the first hour but she hadn't said a word.

"Nothing."

Finn watched as Debra sighed and walked away from him and Liette's cell. She was no doubt heading back to talk to the others who had been around when the news was leaked. Finn knew he would be talked to eventually as well but he was already prepared. He was not about to let them deduce that he was one of Joe's. In fact, Finn already had a plan to implicate one of the other officers. He would just need to drop a few breadcrumbs.

His blue eyes peaked through the glass of Liette's cell to see the girl sitting on her bed. She was silent, solemn and Finn assumed that she was broken. It was almost amusing to him but he knew Joe wouldn't like it. If he played a role in her release Joe would likely reward him. Finn wanted this not because he needed Joe but because he wanted to get ahead of the others. He wanted to be Joe's right hand man so he could have more power. Eventually Joe would become irrelevant.

Liette's eyes cast up as she felt someone watching her. She looked up to see the handsome Virginia cop lingering by her door. She had no idea who he was. She had watched him escort Joe out of the room twice but no one had told her his name. He seemed to have a look of remorse on his face. Perhaps he felt bad for her. The thoughts drove Liette to turn on her bed, lay down and face the wall. Her fingers traced the outline of the cinderblock. She now knew what it was like to be caged.

It would be so easy to just take her. He was confident in his own abilities. The other agents here were idiots. He could just walk out the front door. Finn was sure he had the skill to but it would put him behind in his real plans. Three of their members were already trapped in one area for a kidnapping. Taking Liette would mean he would have to stay out of the public eye; forever. Finn couldn't handle that. He needed to be in the centre of it all. No, taking Liette wasn't an option. There had to be another way.

"Officer, you can take a break." After over an hour of waiting to see if Liette would talk on her own Parker had finally agreed to let Weston head inside the cell. They all agreed that cuffing Liette inside the interrogation room was not in their best interest; it would just piss her off. She wouldn't talk to anyone if they painted her as an ever darker criminal than they already had. They needed to be gentle with her now. That was why Mike was the best candidate to go in and talk to her.

Liette didn't even bother to roll to face the door when she heard it opened. The sound of footsteps told her she was being joined by someone. She was surprised when the voice spoke that it didn't belong to Parker.

"Li, can we talk?" Mike asked. The door closed behind him but it did not lock. You had to lock it from the outside. Mike did not fear for his safety being in here with Liette. She wasn't dangerous in his books.

"You going to read me my rights first?" she was hostile, Mike had expected that. He wouldn't have been too happy to have been thrown in jail either. He didn't understand why Liette wouldn't just talk. It would make things so much easier.

"You know your rights." Mike sighed.

"Then no, we can't talk."

"Li, I'm here to help you." he didn't want to see her waste away in here. The less she cooperated the worst this was going to get. If anything she withheld from them ended up being an important part of this case she could lose her job. She'd be let go from the FBI indefinitely. They had already taken her gun and her badge. Mike didn't want to see her lose everything because of Joe Carroll. "We're trying to understand Joe...and well, something about you makes him tick."

"So figure it out through him." Liette said, bringing her feet up and her knees to her chest. She seemed almost childlike. She still had so much resistance in her. It might take the night in this unforgiving cell to break her.

"Come on, don't be difficult." Mike moved slowly and took a seat beside her. Her body language told him not to touch her so he didn't. He kept himself close but he didn't make any sudden movements. He knew that he could best her at hand to hand but he really didn't want to beat on his friend if she lashed out on him. "Why don't you want to talk about that day?"

"It's personal Mike...it's my life."

"Did he do something to you?" Mike asked cautiously.

"No! He never touched me." she had been lucky. You couldn't look at what Joe had done to those other girls and say anything else. He could have tortured and mutilated her just like he had done to the rest of them but he hadn't. He had spared her. It didn't make much sense to anyone; including Liette. Whatever reason Joe had for that he had never shared with her.

Mike was relieved to hear that Liette wasn't hiding something terrible like an assault. There was no evidence that Carroll had ever raped anyone. That didn't make him a good guy or make up for all that he had done but it was still a relief.

"What is it then Li?"

"Mike, please just go." Liette didn't want to talk to Mike anymore than she wanted to talk to Parker or Hardy. He was a nice guy but that didn't make up for the cell she was currently sitting in. She was a prisoner. Mother Teresa herself could come in and Liette would still not feel any better about her situation.

"They're going to keep you in here if you don't talk." Mike frowned. "Just like him."

"Leave me alone Weston." his words made Liette angry. Had he really just compared her to Joe? He was an idiot. She didn't want to look at him anymore. The parallels between her and Joe ended with the rooms they were placed in. He was a serial killer; she had done nothing wrong. Maybe her only crime was trusting him but that had been a long time ago. They couldn't blame her for that now.

"I want to help you." Mike said honestly. He hadn't meant to be hurtful with his comment. He just wanted Liette to see that she didn't need to stay in here. She just needed to speak up. "I want you back out there, with me, helping. Come on Li, just tell me."

"You should head home Weston. Get some sleep. It'll be a long day tomorrow." her voice was cold. It was eerie to Mike. She had clearly cried out her emotion. He could see how red her eyes were. It almost made his heart break. Why wouldn't she just tell them?

He thought he would be the one to get her to talk but it was clear that wasn't going to work. He knew he could sit here and try and tire her out but it seemed useless. She knew all the tricks in the book; the BAU had come up with this stuff. Profiling a profiler never went over well. Mike only had one more question burning in his mind. "Why are you protecting him?"

"I'm protecting myself."


	15. Chapter 15 - Emily

With Liette asleep in her cell and Joe asleep in his there was only one other person Ryan could think of to go talk to about the case. He had wrongfully been avoiding this because he knew it was going to give him nothing but trouble. Actually, he had almost hoped that this would be the one aspect of the case that Parker barred him from.

Unfortunately he wasn't so lucky.

Ryan tried rehearsing the proper things to say the entire drive over to the hospital. That fifteen minute car ride definitely was not long enough. He had been smart and left his water bottle alone for a bit but right now he was wishing he hadn't been so careful. His mind was begging for a drink. This was going to be hell.

It had been three days and he hadn't visited Emily yet. That was nothing in comparison to the four years they had went without speaking. Their falling out had occurred four years ago at Christmas. Emily had announced her engagement to Brad. There was nothing wrong with Brad but there was nothing terribly great about him either. He was a spoiled rich brat who had always had everything handed to him on a silver platter. Ryan had been drunk and like usual he had used his mouth to get him in trouble. They were lucky he hadn't used his fists. He hadn't gone to the wedding. He had stopped speaking to completely. This reunion was going to be interesting.

Emily had six cuts on her abdomen, a slash on her right cheek and a bruise on her left. She did not look like herself. Emily was known for being the beautiful and young looking darling of the Hardy family. She had always been easier to get along with. Of course Ryan pretty much gave that title away by being so damn difficult.

Seeing her big brother walk into her hospital room caused a rush of emotions. The doctors had told her all about how he had saved her but that didn't stop bitterness from remaining in her heart. Ryan had been selfish. He was the reason they didn't speak anymore. It had not been her fault that he refused to give Brad a chance. She hated the fact that Ryan didn't even know his own nephew because he simply didn't like his brother in law. Still, Ryan was the only reason Emily was alive right now which meant she had to be somewhat grateful.

"Ryan."

"Ems."

What was there to be said? Neither one of them really knew where to go with this. What were they going to say? What could be said? Thank you? I'm sorry? Who would say what and who would actually mean it? It was Ryan's fault she had been in this position in the first place. The only connection that Emily had with Joe Carrol was Ryan. She had been abducted and almost killed solely to test Ryan's faith.

"If I had know..." Ryan started.

"You need to stop them Ryan." Emily's voice was stern. It was unusual for her. She had always been bubbly and light but right now there was a darkness in her. Her time with Maggie had no doubt been very scarring. The small amount of time Ryan had spent in that house had had him disturbed. He would be lying to say the images hadn't haunted his mind. "She's sick...she could be worse than him." Ryan doubted that. Not a lot of people were worse than Joe in his mind. Then again, he had personal experience with Joe but it was Maggie who had tortured Emily.

"Ems I'm sorry."

"Please, don't." Emily stopped him. That stung. He couldn't even apologize. "It hurts to cry...don't make me cry." tears almost started to come but Ryan stepped in and took her hand, trying to stop her from getting too emotional. Four years. He had left her out of his life for four years. This was Joe's fault. Joe had caused him to look for solitude. Ryan had stopped wanting to be around people he cared about because he figured he was bad for them. He always said that he worked better in people's pasts. Still, he had given up on his family out of bitterness and despair. It was pitiful that the only reason he was with Emily now was because she had been attacked.

"I need to question you about what happened, see if you know anything important." Ryan said, pulling a chair up to sit beside Emily's bedside. Perhaps a proper reunion was too emotional for them. They could just let it past through the air like smoke. They were here together now; no need to dwell on their differences.

"I don't know..." Emily shook her head.

"We've got a few hours...just go slowly...start from the beginning."

_Emily had always loved Maine. This was where she was born and this was where she planned to die. She liked having a house that was just a ten minute drive away from her parents. It ensured that her son had a close relationship with his grandparents. _

_ Brad had taken Henry to the park while Emily had opted to stay home and clean. Maggie watched the father and son duo leave the driveway and head down the road. They pretty much did this every Sunday. It gave Emily some time to herself to catch up and take a breather. It also meant that Brad got some bonding time with his son. Maggie had watched four Sundays in a row before heading back to Virginia. She had wanted to be home to watch Rick's "Torch Man"._

_ Rick's death had been unexpected but it had sped up the timeline. Maggie decided that she would nab Ryan's sister now considering the fact that she had to get out of Virginia for the weekend anyway. She was wanted by the FBI. Her picture would be up soon but not soon enough for Emily Hardy to see it. It was technically Emily Jones now but Joe had always referred to Ryan's relatives as the Hardy's just to keep them connected._

_ With Brad and Henry out of the picture Maggie decided to make her move. It is amazing how many people forget to lock their back doors. You'd think with a former FBI agent as a brother you'd remember to be safe but that wasn't the case. Maggie was quiet, her knife skillfully placed in her right hand. Emily had music blasting, some bland classic rock mix that Maggie didn't care for. It made for the perfect cover. With Emily's back turned to her she was able to sneak up and put her knife against the woman's side. Emily jumped but Maggie immediately caught her one arm in her free hand._

_ "Scream and I'll gut you like a pif."_

"I don't want to do this anymore," Emily breathed, feeling very heavy from telling her brother about her abduction. Maggie had threatened her and her family. She had had to go with her. She had no choice. She had even made her write a note to her husband before leaving.

_Brad, _

_ I know this may seem like it is coming out of nowhere but I just need some time. I need to think about some things. I'm going to go away for a few days. I'm sorry. I love you. _

_ Sincerely, Emily._

At least Brad hadn't been so thick to buy that note. He was the one who had called Ryan to say that Emily was missing. At first Ryan had wondered if she had grown a brain and left her husband but of course that wasn't the case. That was when Maggie had called and confirmed that Emily had been taken by the cult.

_Keeping Emily drugged had been important for her compliance but it made torturing her dull. Maggie needed to hear the screams but the house on Church Street was in the middle of suburbia. Why had Joe put them there? The others got to take care of his son in a mansion in the country and yet she was stuck with this house. Whatever. She'd made it her own. She had the house laid out like a little torture shack for Hardy. Joe would have been so proud of her. _

"You're doing good Ems."

"Please Ryan...I just..."

"Just a little bit more."

_Maggie had never actually hit someone before. She hadn't stabbed anyone until Agent Reilly. That had been so worth it. She hadn't done any of this but she had fantasied about it. She had come to Joe the first time to tell him how impressed she was. What he had done to those girls had been marvelous. She wished that she had the guts to do it. Now she had her chance. The cuts on Emily were small but shallow but they were still fun for her. The water tank was how her end would come about; that had been Joe's idea._

_ Still, the warm up was the fun part for Maggie. She didn't get to decide if Emily would live or die which took some of the fun out of it. The psychopath liked the power but she also loved Joe. He was their leader. He had made her dreams come true. She had been so insignificant and irrelevant but he had seen that she was special. _

_ She took her time torturing Ryan's sister and then the time came to put her in the tank. This time Maggie didn't drug her. This meant that Emily could try and fight against the glass. It would do no good. It would take the axe on the wall. _

"None of this helps."

"It does Ems, it does."

"Can I stop now?"

Ryan knew how the rest of the tale went, there was no need to go on. Maybe Emily would remember some more as the time went on. Right now he didn't have anything to work on. Maybe it was time for them both to get some sleep. There would be lots of time for work in the morning.


	16. Chapter 16 - History

It had taken quite a while but eventually Liette had fallen asleep in her cold dark cell. Joe actually had had a harder time sleeping knowing that somewhere in this building Liette was in the same situation. She was better than these hards bed and uncaring white walls. He couldn't believe they had actually done this to her. He wanted answers. As his cell door opened he knew that he would have a chance to get some. The problem was that Hardy would be asking the question; not the other way around.

At the same time Liette was pulled from her room. It was early. Six in the morning. They weren't wasting any time. Parker had found out that the lawyers would be in by 8am. Liette was a smart girl and probably wouldn't talk without the lawyers present but they had to take a shot. Parker decided to put on a little show before this all started.

From their separate spaces Liette and Joe were moved to the same floor. Liette came from the south while Joe came from the North. Three guards escorted Joe while Liette walked with Parker alone. As they reached the interrogation rooms they crossed, switching sides. It was all very peculiar and all well rehearsed.

Liette saw Joe but her eyes immediately left him. Interesting. She wasn't trying to communicate anything to him. He on the other hand had the sincerest look on his face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Joe Carroll had never apologized for a single crime he committed because he didn't feel like a criminal. What he had done was art. To him, this was his first crime. He had implicated Liette and that was devastating to him.

She did not look up. She did not react but instead she pushed forward into the interrogation room. The questions that Parker would have for her would be nothing in comparison to dealing with Joe. She didn't want to look at him right now. She knew exactly what Parker had been trying to accomplish by this little crossover. They wanted to gauge her reactions. She wondered if they had seen what they wanted to see. She doubted it made little difference. Parker and Hardy couldn't seem to make up their minds about how they felt about Liette. One second she was useful and the next she was Joe's whore.

"Joe, you look unhappy." Ryan mused. For once he felt like he had had a little power over Joe. No one had slept well last night but this time Ryan knew he had got a better night's sleep than Joe had. He could just imagine the man tossing and turning over the state that they were in. It showed on Joe's face. His dark eyes were sunken in and the bags under them were more shadowed than Ryan had ever seen. There was no curled sadistic smile on his face and his posture even seemed to droop a little bit. He was an unhappy man. "I heard Liette cried herself to sleep. How sound proof are those cells? Did you hear her down the hall."

"It's not going to work Ryan." Joe shook his head. The worst part was that it was working. Joe cringed at the idea of Liette crying herself to sleep in her cell. Just picturing Liette locked up had his brain begging him to stop. His heart couldn't take it. This was a whole new realm of pain and it wasn't beautiful or artistic. It just hurt. It hurt like hell.

"What isn't?" Ryan asked, as if he hadn't been baiting Joe.

"Taunting me with Liette." Joe clarified. Her name came off of his tongue softly but the statement was hard. He wanted to show Ryan that he had not gone soft. He wanted to prove that he could still beat them.

"Taunting? I'm just telling you the truth." Ryan said with a laugh. He wanted to see Joe break because of this. Ryan wanted to remember what it felt like to be winning with Joe. Not killing Jordy had been somewhat of a win. Of course that had backfired when Jordy committed suicide. Joe still didn't know that and Ryan had no intentions of telling him. No need to boost the asshole's ego. "You've done so well at implicating her that I think they might move her to a more permanent facility."

"No!" Joe snapped, unable to hold back his emotions. His mind brought images of what they would do to Liette inside the system. The system hadn't been kind to him. He had killed girls. The men inside only gave you respect if you had killed another man. He hadn't been on the bottom of the totem pole with the pedophiles and the rapists but he hadn't exactly been given any handouts because of his actions. He had spent most of his time in solitary the first time as well. The other inmates were more of a danger to him than he was to them. He defended himself but most times that had just got him punished or sent back to confinement. He knew Liette would be in a worse position if she was sent to jail. They couldn't put her in with the general public because she'd be ripped to shreds for being a fed. The whole idea made Joe sick. "She deserves to be free."

"So give me a reason to free her. Explain what you meant." Hardy offered.

"It's not my story to tell."

Joe knew that telling Ryan about that night might save Liette another night in solitary but it would not make her like him. If anything it would make her hate him for giving away her secret. She had to be the one to come clean. He wanted to save her from the uncaring world he was in but he couldn't. The responsibility was hers and hers alone. Parker was in the next room trying to make her see that now.

"You know the bureau lawyers will compensate you for last night." Debra said, looking at her watch to see how much time she had left. Lawyers were a pain in the ass on a good day but lawyers hired by the FBI knew the system better than most. They only hired the best. Parker knew if the wrong person walked in here to defend Liette there would be no chance at getting anything from her. She needed to coerce the information from the young woman now before she had another barrier to have to go through. "You've also thought about this and remembered that they're FBI. They will encourage you to tell the truth. You know all this. Why not just tell me?"

Liette thought about Debra's words. She was right. When she had tried to fall asleep early last night Liette had laid up thinking about how today would pan out. At first her lawyer would probably defend her to the ends of the earth. They would make claims for compensation and threaten charges of harassment and maybe even assault. The problem was Liette wasn't sure how many of them would actually defend her right to keep matters private. They would suggest that she could be held in contempt or this accessory charge could be kept. Maybe they would encourage her to just talk; they'd pressure her. None of it would be on her own terms. Maybe it would be better just to talk now.

But then she remembered how it felt to be caged. White walls slowly closing in around you. A silence that could not even be spoken about. A fear that crept up on you from the shadows. You have no option but to sleep but you want to fight it off. But more than anything it was the feeling that she was actually a criminal. It was as if overnight her body had come to accept that this place only accepted those who had done wrong. She had had to remind herself that she was an innocent.

"It's the principle of the matter. You locked me up in solitary. How exactly do you think compensation is going to work?" Liette said bitterly. What was going to take that memory away? How could anyone take back Parker's actions or Weston's words? Her friends had turned on her, all because of something Joe said.

Liette was still trying to understand Joe's statement as well. She didn't know how to feel. She remembered that day better than anyone. It had been in the back of her mind for the past ten years. But it still didn't make sense to her. What about it had made Joe screw up? He had been a cold-blooded criminal. She was just a schoolgirl. Liette still didn't understand how her actions had any affect on him at all.

"We're a team. You're supposed to trust me." Liette added. She didn't know if Parker would ever be able to earn back her trust. Liette actually figured she'd be able to forgive Hardy and Weston before she even played with the thought of trusting Parker again. This had been like a knife in the back of their relationship.

Parker felt the mistrust exuding from Liette. She knew well that she had betrayed her own agent but she saw no other option. So much pressure was on her now. Her name was going to be blackened by this whole case if she didn't shape up. "And I would...if you stopped hiding things."

"Anything I tell you would just make you suspect me more." Liette admitted.

That was something new. Debra's brain went over the possibilities. What could Liette have done? Maybe she had known Joe was the killer and had never confessed. Maybe she had helped him once. Debra really hoped that it wasn't the latter of the two.

"What is it Liette? What did you say that day that was so terrible that you don't want to talk about it?"

Silence. Just like in the cell. It felt cold and uncaring. Liette's body shook within that moment. She had a choice. She could come clean or continue to refuse. If she didn't tell Debra now then there was no point of continuing this conversation. But if she spoke she could save herself from returning to that cell. She could show them that this wasn't about helping Joe or protecting them. This was about herself and something that she still struggled to come to terms with to this day.

"I told him I loved him."

_ Dear logical Liette had never wanted this day to come. Falling in love with someone was one thing but falling in love with a married man who happened to be her professor was in a whole other realm of stupidity. _

_ She had spent the entire term fighting off these feelings. She had even gone out with that boy from her brain and behavior class. It turned out the they had nothing in common but Liette had given him a chance anyway. She had looked for someone her own age; someone available but she always seemed to come back to Joe._

_ Their meetings had lessened now that midterms had started. The killings at school had sped up ever since the majority of the student body had returned in September. Liette knew that that made campus more dangerous for her so she kept away from it at night. First year she had lived in residence but now she had made a home with five other people. Walking home or getting the bus was dangerous at night. This also meant that any late night meetings she used to have with Joe were cut short._

_ Despite the lessening of their time together Liette still felt her heart skip a beat whenever he said her name._

_ It wasn't rational. At first Liette had tried to reason it out but even her big brain couldn't fully understand what she was feeling. The only person she had shared her thoughts with so far was her mother. The only words that Ms. Arnaut had had to say was that Liette had always fit better with people who weren't her age. Liette was thankful that her mother did not shame her but at the same time she didn't know what there was left to do with her feelings._

_ But sitting in class that day made Liette realize she had to put an end to it._

_ She had missed an entire ten minutes of what Joe was lecturing about because she had been staring at his lips. Liette had never been the type to be victimized by butterflies or the intense feelings of a crush. She had never looked at a boy before and been completely captured by them. But Joe wasn't a boy; he was man. _

_ Her lack of cognizance in lecture made her question everything about herself. Everyone got distracted in lecture sometimes but Liette rarely found herself drawn away for more than two minutes. She was an academic before everything else. It was how she defined herself. Getting lovesick over her professor was really not something she should have to worry about. The distraction of the movement of his lips should not have impaired her ability to take notes._

_ But it had and that was a problem._

_ Liette had come to school that Friday night knowing that most people would be out but that Joe would be in his office grading papers. Midterms had just ended and now the brisk autumn nights of late october began. This was Liette's favorite time of the year. Her birthday was earlier in the month so thankfully that event didn't ruin her relishing in the autumn air. Today she could hardly enjoy it. The walk from her home to the campus had given her a small chill but it had also given her time to rehearse what she was going to say._

_ Unfortunately, none of it came out like she had rehearsed. _

_ "Joe?"_

_ "Liette...what are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you so late." he had just been getting ready to leave when she had shown up at his office door. It threw him off. The only time he seemed to get to see her anymore was in class and on Sundays. He did not like that their meetings had slowed since the summer. Liette blamed the escalation of the murders but Joe knew it had to be something else."You need to be careful, it's dangerous out there." It wasn't fair to speak to her like that. It was as if his concern for her was warranted. He knew the killer did not pose any threat to Liette because Joe just couldn't hurt her like that. _

_ "I needed to see you...I just...there is something I need to tell you." Liette's voice was shaky and she felt a little feint. The way he was looking at her did not help. He beckoned her fully into his office and he stood from his desk. Slowly Joe rounded it and then leaned on the front. The outfit he was wearing was unusual for him but it was Friday so Liette assumed he had just chose to go casual. Black jeans and a black v-neck. It all made him look little bit younger and maybe a bit more in her league._

_ No. She couldn't convince herself to keep dreaming. This needed to stop._

_ "I think our Sundays need to come to an end." she blurted our quite quickly._

_ The expression on Joe's face changed immediately. Normally Liette had him grinning like an idiot. She was so easy to talk to. He enjoyed every moment of their friendship. It was a nice break from the people around him who didn't appreciate romantic literature the way he did. He had needed a friend who understood the way he thought and saw the world. Liette had come pretty close._

_ "What?" Joe felt himself stumble. He stood up slightly and went to reach for her but she didn't come any closer. "What's wrong sweetheart?"_

_ Liette cringed. This was harder than she had expected. She had played the scenario over in her head a million times but it always went so smoothly. She often forgot how messy emotions could be. There had been no chance of this going well. She just wasn't stable enough to walk in here confidently with this information._

_ "Joe...I'm...well..." there was no way of beating around the bush here. There was no point in having some elaborate rant; it would just bring her to one simple statement. "I think I'm falling in love with you."_

_ This was far from what Joe had expected. Liette hung off his every word in their meetings and in class but no more than any other girl. She had least managed to talk back in thoughtful sentences and meaningful phrases. She wasn't some gooey school girl who could do nothing but giggle and blush. He had simply not perceived this as possible._

_ "Oh dear." he sighed softly._

_ Liette was triggered by his emotional expressions as well as his words. "You're a married man and I know you would never...but that's the problem." she stumbled, trying to figure out just what she was saying to him."I'm finding myself wanting you to and that isn't fair to you and Claire." Joe's wife was a wonderful woman and they deserved to be happy together. Liette knew she could never be the one to come between them. It made her sick when she listened to other girls joke about wanting to be the one who made him come away from his marriage. That just wasn't humane in Liette's eyes."Quite frankly it isn't fair to myself. I've tried to put a stop to it but the more time we spend together the more difficult it is."_

_ "Liette slow down." he said, bridging the gap between them. His hands fell softly on her shoulders and he leaned down to look her in her eyes. In that moment they were so physically close but Joe had never felt farther away from a person. Those brown eyes that were usually filled with light and joy seemed to be transformed into something else. Their connection did not share the same happy feeling as it normally did. In this moment things were raw and unusual. Joe dropped his eyes from her stare to her lips. Her top teeth bit gently down on an already chewed surface. She had clearly been nervous about this. Joe watched as her tongue ran over her dry lips and she swallowed hard, clearly not sure what to say next. He kept them there for a moment before he finally decided to speak again. _

_ "Liette I assure you if I've done anything to influence this...I'm so sorry." he shook his head. All their time together had meant so much to him but he hadn't been aware of what it had come to mean to Liette. _

_ "Don't be. It's my own foolishness." she said, shaking her head and casting her glance to the ground. He was so close to her now. So close that she could almost feel what it would be like to have him but she knew she never would. It wasn't something achievable in Liette's mind. She shouldn't have even come here. _

_ "Is their anything I can do?" Joe asked, lowering his arms to his sides. _

_ "No. I'll be fine. I'm sure." She appeared so strong but inside Liette was breaking. It took every ounce of her power not to cry in front of him. She just lingered there, not wanting to look into his eyes again. How had she let it become this way. It had been a year since they had had their first sit down over coffee. Things had changed so much. There was no one in her life like Joe but that was exactly the problem. _

_ "I'll...I'll miss our time together." he stammered slightly. He was losing something too. Liette was not the only one to be hurting. "I'll miss you."_

_ "I'll miss you too." Liette admitted "I should go."_

_ There wasn't another word. Liette left Joe standing in his office; bewildered with what she had just told him. It was all for nought. Liette managed to make it home without a single tear but the moment she locked herself in her room she gave into sobbing. She had just given up her best friend and the only man she had ever come to love. _

_ Little did she know a few streets down Joe had come to hunt Sarah Fuller and Ryan Hardy was just in time to save her life. _

"Mike did you hear that?" Parker asked, putting a finger against the piece in her ear so she could hear Weston's response.

"Yeah." Mike nodded blankly. He was shocked. This was not what he had been expecting. It also worried him. If Liette had been in love with Joe then what was to say that she wasn't still in love with him now? "I'll get Hardy to tell Joe."

Parker looked at Liette, waiting for observe some sort of reaction. Would she feel more betrayed knowing that Parker had planned this; to work her and Joe against each other? Would she feel disappointed that she had been the one to give it away? Liette didn't budge. She didn't show any emotional response. "Did you think I'd be surprised? I saw the earpiece the moment you came and got me." she said blankly.

Ryan continued to get resistance from Joe but Weston's voice coming over the earpiece gave him something to work with. "Hardy. Liette confessed, she told Carroll she loved him." Hardy wasn't even jealous that Parker had managed to get a confession first. Ryan had assumed Liette would be the one to break. Joe was hardened by ten years in prison; he wasn't going to completely crumble because of one emotional experience.

What this had all been about made Ryan take a minute to think about how he was going to spin this. Liette's confession had been less surprising than he had thought it would be. She had so adamantly insisted on keeping it a secret that Ryan had thought it would be worse. Being in love with Joe wasn't the best thing but it wasn't out of the realm of the reasonable. Ryan just had to take a look back at Claire. She had been completely in love with her husband despite their flirting. Claire had never had a bad thing to say about Joe until she found out the truth. Liette had been just as victimized as Joe's ex-wife had.

"She already told us Joe." Ryan said slowly "She loved you, so what? Why does that matter." he asked. That was what they were looking for. Liette was just a puzzle piece but Joe was the picture on the puzzle. Ryan still wasn't sure what he was looking at. He needed to know so he could attempt to get ahead.

"Bring her in here and I'll tell you both."

Ryan didn't even hesitate this time. He was sick of fighting with Joe. He was sick of having to demand over and over again that Joe just tell him himself. It didn't work. Eventually they just bent to Joe's will so this time Ryan saw no issue in just getting it over with. Let Joe write his next sick chapter of the book. Maybe it would help them end this story earlier. "Weston, tell Parker to bring Liette over."

"Are you sure?" Mike asked, swallowing in nervousness.

"Yes."


	17. Chapter 17 - The Eyes Have It

"What are we doing?" Liette asked as Parker silently led her out of the interrogation room. Was it actually over? Had it been that easy? Parker's hand on Liette's forearm suggested that this was more than that. They weren't leaving the room because this was over. Liette realized the moment that Parker tugged her towards the other room that something bad was going on. Her confession had led to something and that meant she had to go back in with Joe. He was the last person she wanted to see right now.

"Come on." Debra ushered. Opening the door so she could walk Liette into the room.

Liette didn't allow her eyes to take in Joe or Ryan, instead she looked at Debra. "Parker...this is completely against my righ-." she began to protest but a hand was on her shoulder, pushing her towards the seat beside Hardy.

"Liette shut up." Parker ordered "Sit down."

Reluctantly Liette sat. Joe's eyes focused only on her. She was angry with him and he wanted to fix that. He hoped he would soon be able to make her understand. Maybe she would finally see all pieces of this. She had always been so good at that. She knew how to take things apart in her mind and put them all back together. He just had to give her a bit more information and then she'd be able to work it all out.

"Agent Parker, do you mind? This is kind of a story for them." Joe requested.

"As you wish. Play nice." Parker shrugged, excusing herself. She'd witness this conversation on the video feed with Weston. No need to give Joe a reason not to talk now. Hardy had made a deal with him so now they were going to get some more information.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Joe's voice flowed freely from his lips as he observed Liette's behavior. She seemed to be cowering in the chair across from him. They had done this to her and they would all pay for what they had done. The news was out that Liette had been arrested. He had warned the others what would happen if any harm came to her. They knew that this was not something to take lightly.

"Joe. Tell the story." Ryan directed.

"Let me speak to her first." Joe said, pronouncing every syllable with such gravity that you could feel the words hit the floor. He insisted on making sure Liette was okay. She wouldn't give him her gaze but that would not stop him from speaking to her. He needed her to see that it was alright. He didn't want her to remain broken. "I promise you, I'll never let them do that to you again." his voice was sincere. He would do anything to keep her from danger.

"I will take her away Carroll." Ryan threatened.

"Alright, alright." Joe raised his hands slightly in his own defense. No need to get thrown back into his cell so quickly. "Why did it matter? Why did her confession throw me off? You see Ryan, this time everything has been for you. I wanted to write our story. It's all for you." Joe explained. He had made sure that his followers continuously told Ryan that this was for him. Joe had planned it all to bring out the broken hero and to torture him some more. He had promised this would be a classic tale but Joe liked to write twist endings. Perhaps good wouldn't win over evil this time. It had last time but that didn't change the significance of the story. "But last time it was for her."

"You sick son of a bitch." the words left Liette's mouth before she even realized what she was saying. It had been for her? He had killed for her? What was that supposed to mean?

"Arnaut, shut up." Hardy snapped.

"Don't speak to her that way." Joe's voice was loud and demanding. It was obvious that a physical lash out would have occurred had he not been shackled to the table. "This is hard for her, confusing even...I never had the chance to explain it to her...I should have." his voice changed from stone to air as he looked at Liette. He couldn't be cruel to her like they were. His whole demeanor changed when his focus was solely on her.

Joe knew that he would now do most of the talking. He had much to say about it all. It was a very complex tale. He had been a man in his thirties who had suddenly found the lust to kill. Joe had never killed another human being before that but deep within his history there was evidence of violence. This was not unusual for serial killers and it made perfect sense. It was everything that came after that that had a complexity to it. He made such a great case study but so far everyone had been missing the important piece. Why had he started killing?

"See you all call me a psychopath but Liette knows differently. I don't fit that definition. She taught me that. Everything I learnt about serial murders was from her and her classes. She didn't even know she was teaching me...she helped me become what I am." he explained slowly. He watched Liette fidget in her seat and her eyes suddenly came up upon him. She deserved to hear this. She needed to. "I'm not without empathy or feelings. I can feel love, very deeply. But I began to feel it too deeply and for the wrong person. Adultery is not acceptable, right Ryan?" Joe taunted, still clearly bitter that Hardy had slept with Claire.

"Get on with it." Ryan growled instantly.

Joe took in a breath and thought about how his next words should go. They were crucial. "I realized I was in love with Liette long before she came to my office that night but I knew I couldn't be with her."

"No." the word slipped from Liette's mouth.

He had loved her? He had been in love with her? At that time? Before the killings or during? Or was it both? Liette needed answers; answers only Joe could give. She couldn't find the strength to ask them. Joe would have to continue on with his lead and Liette would simply have to hope her questions were answered along the way.

"I couldn't cheat on Claire and Joey was just two years old. I couldn't abandon my family but I also didn't know how to cure myself of my love for you." Joe spoke as if he wasn't speaking like a madman. He watched Liette's reactions and his gut twisted as she appeared to get more distant with him. He knew he had to keep talking. Perhaps that would make her see. "That was when it came to me. All those years of studying Poe, his darkness and the beauty that came only in the death of a woman. Tragic but glorious. He had prepared me for what I had to do." Joe looked down at his hands for a moment. His next confession was a little darker but the story couldn't be told if he didn't tell the whole truth. "I knew I had to kill you, it was the only way I could properly express my love."

Killing the girls as a sign of love for Liette had been where Joe had appeared to be going but his words twisted the whole scenario. He had planned to kill Liette? Hardy didn't know what to make of that. It truly took a dark and twisted individual to believe killing someone was a proper expression of love. Joe's rational worked in his own head but it was simply insanity to Hardy.

Liette on the other hand was in shock. She didn't know how to process any of this. Nothing that came out of Joe's mouth was comforting. It was all an addition onto her longest nightmare. She had often wondered if she would have become a victim. Now she saw that she was supposed to have been _the_ victim.

"I tried to go through with it...multiple times but I couldn't."

_ It started in December before the winter break. Joe had poured over Poe's books to look for some sort of sign. Everything had told him what he had to do. Poe was a brilliant man and it appeared to Joe that he was brilliant enough to give him a sign. _

_ He had to do it._

_ He had asked Liette to go ice skating with him, claiming that Claire never indulged him. Li had told him how terrible she was but he had insisted anyway. She had finally accepted. There was a pond in the park near her apartment. No one ever went there but Joe had checked three days ago; it was frozen over. The quiet area would make the perfect place for his attack._

_ The knife he carried in his pocket felt like such a burden but he knew it was necessary. It had to be a knife. Guns weren't personal enough and Joe didn't like the idea of strangling someone. Knives had so much significance. They were used in so many classic tales as a means of murder or of suicide. The latter wasn't the option in this case. This would be a murder. _

_ Liette met him at the gate of the park with skates in hand. They weren't her own. She had been lucky to find out that her roommate Cadence had a pair that were just her size. Else wise Liette would have looked into renting some for the night. She knew she would likely make a fool of herself in front of Joe tonight but her mother had reminded her to live a little. She couldn't play everything safe all the time so this was her trying to take a risk._

_ The snow was falling lightly. Liette shook her head as a snow flake fell on the tip of her nose. Joe watched her in amusement and let out a small laugh. The lamps of the park were not bright enough for him to notice every feature until Liette got closer. She seemed to glow under the lamplight and the falling snow only added to her beauty. The long plaid peacoat she wore was one Joe was used to seeing her in. Her hands were in beige leather gloves and her blonde hair was braided to the side under a red beret. Winter suited her when it came to letting her dress like this. Many girls hated being so bundled up but Liette looked wonderful._

_ "You're not allowed to hold this against me." Liette said as she laced up her skates._

_ "I won't." Joe said quickly._

_ He had missed the moment to say something charming which was very unusual for him. Liette looked at him with a confused face. Was something going on?"Are you okay? You seem off." she noted._

_ "Just a long day," Joe excused. _

_ "Well come on, you can conclude it by watching me fall over."_

_ That was pretty much what had happened. Liette stumbled and Joe reached out to catch her. Eventually she found her groove and started to skate around him. He had his chance the moment she fell. He skated over and used one hand to help her up while the other slipped into his pocket to grab the knife. He was just about to pull it out when she stumbled forward a little bit. She fell into his chest, her arms wrapping around his waist to catch herself. Instinctively he let go of the knife and moved his arms to embrace her in a steadying hug. They stood there for a moment. Liette's eyes looked up at him. Joe swallowed hard. He knew he couldn't go through with this. _

"I realized I wasn't strong enough to live without you but I had to do something" he admitted pathetically. "Do you remember that day you came over for dinner? You had just had the guest speaker from the FBI?"

"Oh my God." Liette's hand flew to her mouth as she realized the significance.

"What?" Hardy asked, clearly feeling out of the loop.

"I talked to him about people who killed surrogates to work their way up to the real thing. I told him I was considering it for a fourth year thesis." she had given him his idea. She had told him all about different killers who worked with this formula. They didn't have the strength to face the actual person so they found surrogates instead.

"You provided me with the solution. My dear Liette, helping even when you didn't know." Joe said sweetly.

"No! I trusted you! I talked to you as a friend. I didn't want to encourage this!" She was ready to leap out of her seat at him. It would do her no good. Without her gun she would be useless. Even with the handcuffs Joe could probably overpower her. Either way it would be Ryan that would tear the two of them apart. Screaming at him was about the only attack Liette could really muster.

"I know." his voice was almost filled with regret. She'd blame herself for the murders but she didn't need to. She needed to shift her view on the world. If only she could see how beautiful it all was. If she was a little more like Emma then maybe she would have come to appreciate all this. "I tried twice to kill you but I couldn't do it. That was when Grace Walker came to my office to ask about her essay. Blonde hair, fair skin, straight smile but blue eyes. Eyes that showed me how desperate she was. She wanted to be beautiful like my Liette was but she couldn't find a way to be so."

"Weston. Pull up images of Carroll's victims." Parker demanded. This had definitely been the biggest reveal yet and she wanted to feel as if she was following along with Joe and his timeline.

Grace Walker's face come up onto the screen. Digging deeper into her file would should more than the smiling blonde image they were faced with now. Weston had seen the pictures and so had Parker. There was no need to plague the screen with that darkness unless they really needed to. "They were all university students with blonde hair...but I mean other than that they have nothing in common with Liette. Liette doesn't have blue eyes." Weston frowned.

"He said _but_ blue eyes...it was flaw." Parker realized. As the other victims faces surfaced on the screens Parker really saw it. The trigger was there. There were plenty of girls with blonde hair and brown eyes but Joe had left them alone. It was as if he didn't notice him. These girls he had noticed. These girls had been his sign to kill. "Weston, it is why he cuts out the eyes."

As if confirming a point he couldn't hear Joe spoke up again. "I could never find the right girl. Blonde hair and blue eyes; they say people are drawn to that but it just made me angry. The eyes were wrong. They were all wrong. Windows into souls so impure and desperate. I set them free." he spoke as if he had done those girls a favor. This was not surprising. In all his years in jail Joe had never shown an ounce of real regret. He had never felt guilty about what he had done. In fact, he was rather pleased with himself. He worked off this complex that what he was doing was art and that these girls were saved by becoming art.

"The eyes are his trigger. He meets a girl like Liette but then her eyes are wrong and he can't stand that. He wouldn't have even looked at girls with brown eyes. It was the missing element that set him off." Parker observed. They were finally starting to understand why Carroll did what he did. It was sort of unnerving to know that it had taken them this long. They had figured out all the aspects of Poe but Liette had been the missing puzzle piece. She explained why a seemingly intelligent and smart man could snap and start out on a viscous rampage against young women. "We should have been looking more at victimology. This whole time we profiled Liette as a an accolade. She's a victim." Parker shook her head. The guilt she now felt for locking Liette up was palpable.

"You still haven't told us why you screwed up." Ryan noted, waiting for the punchline.

"I had never thought she could love me. So pure an brilliant. I surely thought that I was nowhere close to her heart. It made it easier to kill. When she got distant with me I killed more and it made up for our missed meetings."

"That's why the murders escalated in September." Liette's breath caught in her throat as she noticed the connection. She could now see the weeks that she skipped out on Joe and could link them with the girls who had been killed. She could have saved their lives had she only spent more time with him.

"And then you told me you loved me and my world stopped. It was all for nought." his poetic language made Hardy sick and Liette quiver in fear. "I could have just had you had I let go of Claire and Joey. No one would have had to die." that wasn't regret; it was something else. It was if Joe knew he had always had the disposition to be a killer. He had to have known that his violence was enriched in him enough that eventually violence was surfaced but without Liette and the trigger of the eyes Joe might have never became what he was. He might have just gone on in life and placed his aggression somewhere else. His writing could have turned dark and a depression could have set in but instead a madness had taken over. He was still a brilliant man but his mind didn't see things in an acceptable way. "Your death would come naturally with me by your side, and it would be beautiful in it's own right."

Back then Liette would have played with the idea of what it would have been like to grow old with Joe. She would have thought about every piece of that scenario back in her school days but that was different. When Joe had just been wonderful and magical Professor Carroll he had been something to fantasize about. This Joe was not.

"Hardy can I go?" Liette asked, realizing she couldn't take this anymore. She was either going to snap Joe's neck or give into tears. It was all too much to handle. Her world spun just like it had the day she found out Joe was a murderer. Liette actually felt worse at this point.

"Yeah, I think we have everything." Ryan nodded, not wanting to put her through anymore. He could be a hard son of a bitch at times but he wasn't cruel like Joe. His arm touched Liette's forearm to steady her as she stood. Many girls would have feinted after an emotional rush like that but Liette was doing better than expected. Perhaps she internalized a lot. That wouldn't have surprised Hardy one bit. She stumbled slightly towards the door but that was because the shake of Joe's chains made her jump.

"I'm sorry love. My one regret is that I ruined us."


	18. Chapter 18 - Exit Wounds

[To all of you on here and on tumblr who had sent me far more kind words than I deserve I just want to say thank you. You guys are the reason I keep writing. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.]

Mike knew better than anyone that Liette was going to need a shoulder to cry on right now. He had some redeeming to do after his comment. Naturally, Liette had been released from custody since the interview from Joe but she had yet to resurface in the briefing room. While the other agents piled over what to look at yet Mike slipped out unnoticed.

Down the hall was a small break room for the guards. He found Liette inside, sitting against the wall. Her eyes were red with tears and Mike could see that she was shaking. This was all understandable. She'd probably need to go to quite a few therapy sessions after all of this but right now they had a case to focus on. They didn't have time to mend psychological wounds. Mike himself needed some therapy for what had happened with Troy but he managed to pass off as coping. No one knew that he had been having nightmares about it since that night. Maggie's voice in her super psycho funhouse had cause them to worsen and worsen. Mike had started to become thankful for nights that they worked through the night because it meant he didn't have to close his eyes.

He sat down beside her slowly. Mike imagined that Liette was still mad at him for what he said but she leaned over onto him anyway. His arm snaked around his shoulders and for a while he just sat there holding her. It felt like the right thing to do. She continued to cry but Mike didn't try and stop her. Joe Carroll was a life ruiner. He was someone who seemed to have no problem taking everything from other people. Joe claimed to care about Liette but the state he had left her in showed otherwise. Joe's twisted way of caring didn't make sense at all; it just damaged people more than it helped them.

"This is my fault." Liette finally spoke up after a while.

"Don't think like that. You're better than that." Mike urged very quickly. He had expected this; actually, he had profiled it. Liette would naturally blame herself because Carroll had used her as an excuse for what he had done. That wasn't fair. It wasn't as if Liette had held his hand while he cut into those girls. All she had ever done was give Carroll more attention than he deserved. She had become his friend and she had even fallen in love with him. Mike had a hard time picturing that but that was because he only knew Joe Carroll the serial killer. He couldn't see the other side. He understood that Joe was charming and intriguing but to Mike he was still just a cold-blooded killer. Liette had obviously seen him in a different light.

"But it is...he did this because of me." Liette's body shook and although Weston pulling her closer was sweet it wasn't exactly comforting. There really wasn't anything anyone could do to make this okay. This was where she fit in Joe's twisted game. She was the inspiration for the story itself. That made her feel quite sick. He had used her.

"No. It's because of Joe. It is because he's a fucked up man." Mike cursed "This has nothing to do with you." his voice was firm and steady. None of this was Liette's fault; she hadn't know. He wouldn't let all this information break her. She had had a rough go in the past few days but it was time to start climbing back to the top.

"If we had never met..."

"There would have been someone else." he cut her off, trying to stop her from thinking so negatively "He was a time bomb. Come on, you're supposed to be the youngest and best profiler the BAU has. Use that big brain of yours."

"Why? It wasn't any good at figuring Joe out the first time." Liette continued to push herself down into this dark hole. It was a depressing place to be. Mike knew she must be tired and emotionally worn out but Mike wasn't about to let her use that as an excuse. She couldn't stay down on herself. He would putt her back up.

"You can't sit here and beat yourself up Liette. You've got to get back up and get back in there. We can stop him." Joe Carroll was a human being. He wasn't some all powerful lord and villain. He was not monolithic and he was not unstoppable. All this could be put to an end. Like any other crime there was a solution to this. It was complex but there would be a solution somewhere. They needed to keep working. Letting Joe take over their brains and discourage them in their search would do nothing. His words would make this harder but they were just words. All that he had said was just a story. It was the type that could leech onto you and suck you dry of life but it was still just words. They needed to deconstruct the words and destroy them so it couldn't take them away from their goal. They needed to put an end to this madness.

Liette knew Mike was right but she wasn't exactly sure how to go about it all. Stopping Joe was a huge task. He clearly had this entire thing planned to the smallest of details. But the members of the cult were flawed; just like Joe. Joe had screwed up before but now he was in prison. There really was nothing left for Joe to screw up. They had been putting too much focus on him. It was time to look at the group of people who were still very much human despite how deranged their thought processing was. One of them would make a mistake and that would be the way to catch them. "We need to find Joey." Liette concluded.

"Then lets do that."


	19. Chapter 19 - Lane's End

With Mike's encouragement Liette was up and moving again. Joe was locked safely away in his cell so she didn't have to worry about him right now. Walking into the main hub of all that was going on Liette led Weston over to the computers. She had access herself but she knew Mike was faster. She had some idea of how to get them going. Looking into finding Joey Matthews just needed a fresh pair of eyes. "Pull up the video that Will...Jacob sent to Claire Matthews." Liette hadn't actually watched the video. It had come just a few hours before she had been asked to fly in. Since then they had been so focused on Ryan's sister and Liette's own involvement in the case that the video had been put on the back burners. Liette had seen it mentioned when she went over the file and she figured that this was a good place to start.

"What are you two up to?" Parker asked, surprised to see Liette up and ready for action. She had spent the night in confinement and had then received disturbing news from a serial killer and yet she still wanted to work? Parker had assumed Liette would be headed to her hotel for a shower and some rest.

"We're going to find Joey Matthews." Liette said as she took a seat beside Weston.

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to the hotel and rest for a bit?" Parker asked.

"I'm positive."

Parker knew not to argue with her. She was already on Liette's bad side right now. The woman decided to stand back and let the two youngest agents work. Hardy joined them, waiting for more answers. They went through the video over and over. No one really said anything until Weston paused it in realization.

"Northern Red Oak trees and the thickness of that crabgrass means they're on the east coast." he said, pointing out three of the trees in the background. Mike was actually frustrated with himself that it had taken him that long to notice them.

"You can tell that from a tree?" Hardy's eyebrows raised.

"He's a nature nut. Parker's speciality is cults, Weston's is trees." Liette nodded.

"Way to make me sound lame." Mike sighed. It was true though. He had spent much of his younger years outdoors. He had considered going into the army before he applied for the FBI and that was just on the basis that he knew how to rough it. The FBI was a much more comfortable job in Mike's opinion. He still got to go camping in the summer and was always hiking around on his free time. People often saw it as a contradiction; the kid who was good with computers liked to spend time outside. Mike had never seen the issue, he knew how to split his time well.

The video played once more. Ryan was just about done with this. The coast gave them more information than they had had but it definitely wasn't enough. Claire was counting on him to find Joey and so far he had come up with nothing. He was getting sick of hearing the poor kid say his name, unknowingly taunting him. He just wanted them to shut it off.

"Wait...can you go back a few frames. When they're in front of the house." Liette requested. Mike did so and Liette's eyes widened. Her eidetic memory was no good for images but now that she had seen the video multiple times she realized there was something familiar about the house. Looking directly at it in a still frame helped her trigger the memory. "I know where they are." she announced suddenly.

"What? How?" Mike questioned.

"I've been there."

This Sunday meeting was quiet compared to normal. Liette had brought along some of her notes and insisted on studying. Joe had no problem with that. Liette had asked to call the whole thing off for the week but when he had suggested a new environment to study in she couldn't deny the intelligence of his suggestion. She had spent the last three days locked in her room studying for midterms. Joe didn't understand why she studied so hard, she was so brilliant and yet she seemed to need to strive to do better.

He sat there watching her study. Eventually Liette let out a small sigh and put her notebook down. There always came a time when your brain just couldn't handle any more information. Her brain worked differently than others but it still needed a break. Joe took her actions as a sign that he could start conversing. There was a specific reason he had insisted on keeping with their date today. There was something he needed to ask her."Do you have plans for your Spring Break?"

"If you consider reading a few books I picked up on Jack the Ripper plans then I guess so but otherwise no. Probably just stay in my dorm for most of it." Spring Break wasn't something Liette was looking forward to. Her mother and her step dad had decided to take in a cruise so going home was pointless. She'd be staying on campus while anyone else she spent time with took off to Mexico or back to their hometowns for the week. She had already found out that she was the only one on her floor that was staying in the dorms. It would likely be kind of eerie especially since three girls had been murdered since January but she could deal with silence. Some days she struggled with how loud the dorms could get. The drinking and partying thing just wasn't Liette's scene. No, Spring Break wasn't anything special to her.

"How would you like to come to New York?" Joe offered suddenly.

"City?" Liette asked, not yet processing that he had asked her to go somewhere with him that wasn't just a coffee shop or the park.

"Duchess county, upstate." Joe clarified.

Liette processed it a little bit more at that point. New York? That was a ways to go. They'd be spending a long car ride together if they were driving. Joe was inviting her to pretty much go on a trip with her; a vacation of sorts. This wasn't your average student spring break where you took off to Mexico for the sun and the cheap alcohol. This was going somewhere with your professor for an extended amount of time. The longest they had spent together to this date was four hours. "What for?" she asked.

"There's a conference that I'm going to. Most professors have graduate students to bring with them...to keep them company when they don't want to mingle with the other faculty members." Joe explained to her. Trips like this could be extremely dull when you didn't have company. Usually Claire came along with him but she needed to stay home and be with Joey. His wife had actually been the one to suggest taking a student. That had given Joe the perfect opportunity to get to spend more time with Liette.

"And you want me to come?" Liette asked, bewildered.

"Of course. I wouldn't ask anyone else." Joe said honestly. He didn't have the same connection with his other students. Liette was his friend and of course in his heart she was more than that."Besides, they're supposed to be discussing Chaucer and I know he's your favorite."

"I don't remember telling you that," Liette said, quite puzzled in that moment.

"You frequently reference him in your essays, it was very easy to profile." he grinned, using a word that usually came out of Liette's mouth and not his own.

"So you do listen to what I ramble about." she smiled.

"Always."

Liette thought about the trip for a moment. She couldn't lie and say she wasn't interested. It would be much better than staying at the school. "Are you sure you won't get sick of me? I'm still probably going to read the Ripper books and then you're going to have to listen to me talk about them." she joked.

"I actually look forward to that." Joe smiled "Say you'll come."

With a request like that Liette couldn't say no.

"Sure. Of course."

"They held the party there for the English conference. There were twenty or so professors and maybe thirty students." Liette recalled. The images of the estate flourished in her mind. It had been quite the experience. At the time she had felt so lucky to be there and to be there with Joe. Now it was just another memory she could regret. "They set up tents in the yard and we had full access to the house." she nodded.

"Where is it?" Ryan asked. What the house was like and what it had been used for in previous years did not matter. He didn't even care that this house held significance to Liette. They could later profile that as one of Joe's sick ways of keeping her involved in all this. Right now he just wanted to know where it was located.

"Duchess County, New York." Liette recalled. Her memory then brought back the image of the sign that had led onto the property. The words rang in her head like an echo. "It's called Lanes End."

"We need to get a SWAT team together and we need to get going." Parker took charge. They needed Joey Matthews back in their custody. They needed him to be safe. Getting him back would take an ace out of Carroll's hand and put it in their own.

Suddenly Ryan's phone rang. "It's Claire." he frowned before picking it up "Claire, is everything okay?" he had pretty much learn that Claire now called him when something was going on with the case.

Claire Matthews was distraught. Her screaming had caused the officers at the house to run to her side immediately. They had asked her what was wrong but she had insisted on calling Ryan. Ryan was the one who could solve this."J-Joey just called...he...he...they caught him calling." Claire cried into the phone.

If it wasn't for the pacemaker keeping everything running Ryan's heart might have stopped at that moment. Joey was a smart boy. He had made contact with them but getting caught threw a wrench in that cleverness. "We know where he is Claire." Ryan told her, hoping it would help calm the woman down.

"You need to bring him home Ryan. He needs to come home." Claire's voice was shaky but hard. She wanted her son back. It was taking them too long. Joe's kidnapping plan had been too good. Emma had blended in just perfectly. Claire had thought she was one of the nicest young women she had never met. Clearly she had been wrong about her.

"We'll get him Claire. I promise." Ryan said, feeling terrible about how broken Claire was. Joe had destroyed her trust the first time around but now he had taken her son. That was enough to crumble any mother.

Not another word was said but they both hung up. They were working on a shortened timeline now. If Joe's followers lashed out because of Joey's actions it could mean trouble. If any of them had a temper they could hurt Joe's son without thinking about the consequences. "Joey contacted Claire. One of them caught him."

"They're going to move him." Weston blurted out immediately.

"Why? They don't know we know where they are." Parker shook her head.

"But they know we could trace the call now." Joey's call would have been made without a protected signal and that meant Weston could access Claire's phone and trace the signal had Joey talked to her long enough. They didn't need to find the house now but they did need to show up unannounced. "We also still have the issue that we haven't figured out who the mole in the department is." Weston frowned as he looked around the room. There were a dozen other agents and cops in here who had heard what their discovery was. One of the guards had been implicated in releasing the statement about Liette's arrest but nothing had been confirmed. It had all just been breadcrumbs. They still didn't know who to trust and that meant Joey Matthew's life was in danger.

"We have to move now."


	20. Chapter 20 - The Society

When Ryan had heard it was going to take them an hour and forty five minutes to fly to New York he had been prepared to jump in the cock pit and see if he could fly this tin can any faster. Naturally he had no idea how to fly an airplane so that didn't happen. He paced nervously the moment the seatbelt sign was turned off. The jet was new to him but flying had never made him nervous.

Mike on the other hand had always hated the jet. He was used to it now but Hardy's pacing was making him uncomfortable. He stayed strapped in despite the seatbelt sign being turned off. Despite all logic Mike still saw airplanes as a very dangerous mode of transportation. He knew you were at more risk to die in a car crash but when driving he felt like he had some control. Planes were different. He was left to sit in the large metal tube and hope the guys at the front really knew what they were doing.

Two black government issued SUVs were waiting for them as they landed. They were told that SWAT had arrived as well and were just heading to the location now. Hardy figured he could probably beat them to the house if he drove but it was Parker who got in the driver's seat of his vehicle. Liette and Mike took the other.

"Can you drive a little faster Parker?" Ryan asked. They were zipping through traffic but every look at his watch made him worry that they were going to be too late. Joey was just within their grasp. Ryan needed to return him to Claire, then they could get out of Virginia and maybe feel safer.

But no one was safe while Joe's little minions continued to run around.

"You sure I shouldn't have drove?" Mike asked as Liette whipped around the corner. She was almost as bad as Ryan had been when he had drove them to get Emily. Liette was cutting the corners as if she was drag racing. He had never seen this side of her. It was reckless and sort of frightening. Maybe this was what Parker meant when she called Liette unstable.

"I need to blow off steam." Liette said, images of Joe still plaguing her mind.

"By getting us killed?" Mike remarked after the sound of a horn from a driver who had just been cut off. He had actually never been victim to Liette's driving before. He now suddenly wished he was in the car with Parker and Hardy or that he was behind the wheel. He shut his eyes for a moment but that only made it worse. Hopefully this place wouldn't be too far out of town.

Two miles down a bumpy country road and they were there. "This is it." Liette said as she saw the sign from her memory. Mike knew they were at the right place by the sight of the big black SWAT vans that had already pulled in. Parker and Hardy were right behind them. It was surprising that Hardy didn't just rush inside, instead he followed behind Debra who made her way to the leader of the SWAT team. She had instructions to give them.

"Commander Richards, glad you could all make it." the man was big and burly; exactly what you would expect from a man in his position. He spoke right to Parker as if she was his equal and that was what was surprising but refreshing at the same time. "We're going to make a soft entry. Surprise them." he stated.

"You don't think they noticed the vans? This place is practically all windows." Mike noted from the back of the group.

"Yeah but we haven't see anybody so we're assuming that they haven't seen us." Richards explained.

"Alright." Parker nodded "Rubber bullets, we need them to figure out where the others are." they needed to put an end to Joe's cult and that meant taking in each and every member to find out who the others were. There was someone inside the prison system and Maggie Kesner was still at large. If there was anyone else they'd need to find out their identities and bring them in as well.

"You heard them boys, switch up the guns."

Parker then turned to her own agents and Hardy. "SWAT goes in first, then us and Hardy stay with an agent." she instructed. She shouldn't even be letting him come into the house but she knew that there was no point in arguing. He had proven himself useful lately so maybe she could trust him this time.

SWAT made their way through three of the entrances. Hardy stayed with Mike while Parker and Liette went in after different teams. Liette's team breached the front door. Memories flooded Liette's mind as she walked through the house, her gun in her hand. It felt good to have it back; along with her badge. Still, no weapon could shield her mind from returning thoughts of Joe and their time here.

_ "Please stop me if I go to say something stupid." Liette worried as Joe pulled their rental car into the drive at Lane's End. She came from a decent walk of life but an estate like this was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was beautiful and everything about it screamed upperclass. Suddenly the yellow sundress she had wore felt quite plain. Her jewelry was fake and she hoped that didn't get her any odd looks. She was just a university student after all; she didn't have the money for things with too high of a price tag._

_ "I don't think I've ever heard a dumb statement come out of your mouth, don't worry." Joe said, holding out his arm to her as they left the car with the valet. He was showing off right now. The other professors all liked to observe the students the came along. They were like vultures. It all went with the mentality that some schools just believed that they were better than others. Many of them were fighting to appear to be ivy league when in fact they were just your common run of the mill universities."Relax, they'll all be on their second glass of scotch anyway." Joe said with a smile._

_ "This place is impressive." Liette observed as the two of them walked inside. Everything seemed so neat and tidy. Liette knew people often put more effort into appearance when they were expecting guests but she couldn't picture this home any other way. It looked like it had come right out of one of those home making magazines. It would have had to have been the victorian addition because everything was quite aged but beautiful. _

_ "The head of the English society runs this, he likes to show off what collecting great minds has got him." Joe said with a smug grin on his way._

_ "Actually I just like pretty girls to see my house." their conversation was interrupted by an older man with white hair and a Scottish accent. He wore metal frame glasses and a lovely tweed jacket. He was the typical image of what you would imagine a professor looked like. He appeared to be in his late sixties but he wasn't hunched over like many in that age group. He had spent his life teaching and therefore his body wasn't worn by hard physical work. His hand extended to meet Joe's and they shook in a friendly matter. "Joseph. Pleasure to see you."_

_ "And you Arthur." Joe said with a weak smile, hating his full name being heard. He turned his body towards Liette and then prepared for an introduction. "Liette may I introduce Arthur Somerville, founder of this establishment and the one who put this event together of course." he nodded as Liette extended a hand to shake Arthur's."Arthur this is a student of mine, Liette."_

_ "I was going to say, Claire looks a lot younger this year." Arthur joked before releasing Liette's hand. "It's nice to meet you. Help yourself to whatever you'd like. Don't let Joe spoil your fun." he winked before carrying on. He had other guests to attend to._

_ "Old bat." Joe muttered under his breath._

_ "I think he's sweet." Liette countered with a smile on her face._

_ "He's an interesting man."_

_ "He likes you, I can tell." Liette said, hoping that Joe hadn't felt judged or scorned by the man. They seemed to have an odd sense of camaraderie between them. There was a feeling that Liette had got from the conversation that the two men definitely had history. She would have liked to know about it but Joe pushed the topic away._

_ "I suppose." he said blandly"Should we go get a drink? _

There wasn't a voice in the house. The teams began to split up strategically; always leaving at least one person with the agents. It was eerie. The scuffle of feet and the sound of breathing was all there was to feel the air. Liette had always hated moments like this. Her job entailed hunting down men and women who were capable of atrocious things so suspenseful situations often made her feel like she was in a horror movie. Something that just bound to jump out.

"We need an agent down here!" a voice shouted from the basement. Liette and the SWAT member were closest to the door. Walking down they joined three other agents but that wasn't what was there to catch her actual attention.

A bloodied body of a young woman hung from a rope that was tied to the rafters. She had several apparent wounds to the abdomen that had poured blood onto the floor below. The eyes appeared to be intact but she did have several cuts on her face. Decomposition had not even had time to begin yet. This girl had been alive a few hours ago, you could tell that with just a glance. Liette guessed she had been disposed of after Joey had made the call. It was one thing to move around a twelve year old kid but to take a twenty year old girl and keep her quiet would be harder.

"Jesus Christ..." Parker exclaimed as she joined them downstairs. Hardy's team was still checking the rest of the house while Mike's had went to the barns in the yard. So far there had been nothing. This would be a lot of land to process; it was one huge crime scene. They'd need to work it quickly in hopes that someone left something for them to work with.

"There was a missing person's report in the area. Could be her." one of the team members spoke up.

Liette approached the body slowly, noticing something about the blood pool on the floor. Thick amounts of blood had spilled into lines under the body. As she approached the words became more clear. Someone had carved something into the floor and had let this poor girls blood drip down and fill the space.

_Once upon a midnight dreary_

"While I pondered weak and weary." Liette's mouth formed the words out of habit. "More Poe." They had killed this girl as another homage to Joe but Liette wondered what she had to do with the case. How was this girl connected? So far the victims had generally been meaningful to him in some way. Girls from the same sorority as Sarah Fuller, cops protecting her, the critic, the professor who denied him tenure...they had all meant something to him. But what about this girl?

"Agent Parker." Richards voice boomed loudly as he joined them in the basement. He barely reacted to the body hanging from the rafters. "The whole house and grounds has been cleared ma'am." Joey Matthews had not been found and the others weren't here. Liette had expected this outcome when she had noticed there was no car in the driveway.

"They're gone."


	21. Chapter 21 - Divide and Conquer

Ryan's fingers grazed over the screen of his phone. He was avoiding calling Claire Matthews. The Crime Scene Investigators had come to check out the entire estate but Ryan was pessimistic about what they would find. They had been able to get out of here really quickly and Ryan was sure that they had had some sort of escape plan all along. They wouldn't be leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for them. These three psychopaths were too smart for that.

He missed the days after Joe's trial when things had been good for him. He had been happy for the first time in a long time and so had Claire. It hadn't been the most functional of relationships but it had been good while it had lasted. Eventually he had had to step away. It had been for Claire and it had been for Joey. The longer Ryan had stayed around the longer Claire would have had to deal with Joe's memory. He would always be attached to this case. It was in his blood now.

"Do you want me to call her?" Liette asked, knowing why Ryan was standing there with his phone in his hands. Someone had to tell Claire that her son wasn't coming home yet. The good news was that he wasn't the dead body in the house but the bad news was the trail had gone cold. They had no idea where to look next.

"No, no I have to do it." Ryan shook his head. He doubted that Liette would be of much comfort to Claire. He had to wonder if they had even ever met. He couldn't picture Joe bringing around his bewitching student to meet his wife. That just screamed affair in Ryan's mind. "What am I going to tell her?" he wasn't sure why he was asking Liette other than because of the obvious reason that she was the one who was there.

"The truth that you are doing everything you can and you will find her son." Liette said and without another word she left Hardy alone. Clearly calling Claire was something that Ryan had to handle and he had to handle on his own. Liette walked through the house, her eyes scanning for something she could work with. Nothing popped out at her. She heard Parker's voice come from upstairs so she decided to follow it. Liette's face wore a frown as she walked into the room they must have given to Joey Matthews. At least it was a well furnished and well supplied room. It appeared that they hadn't made Joey feel like a hostage...at least not for a while. Not until now.

"Hardy's calling Claire Matthews." Liette reported to Parker.

There were a million things to do but Debra was glad that she didn't have to be the one to call Joey's mother. Claire didn't seem to want to talk to anyone but Ryan anyway. She was definitely preferential. It was slightly frustrating but in this moment the preference definitely worked in Debra's favor. Claire was going to be a mess because they still hadn't found her son and right now Debra had a bigger mess to deal with. The house needed to be fully processed, they needed to form profiles for each of the cult members and there were about fifty other smaller tasks so Debra needed everyone to decide what they were going to tackle. "What do you want to do?"

Liette took a moment to think about it. Staying here was too painful for her so she needed a different task. Parker would likely want to stay at the house since it was the freshest crime scene so that meant Liette could go elsewhere. There was one priority that came to mind. They had told her about the mole in the office on the plan ride here. Liette was frustrated that her name was now in the media. She wanted to take down whoever had infiltrated their office. "I want to go back to Virginia, I want to find the mole who spoke to the media."

"About that. I think we need to move Carroll." Parker said with a frown on her face. "We need to set up a new team asides from ourselves. We can't risk anymore information like that getting out." so far there wasn't enough evidence to pull any one person off the case because they could or could not be the snitch so taking everyone off and replacing them with others seemed like her best option. There were other agents, guards and cops that they could call up. It was just a shame because some of the best were already around.

"Can you give me a chance to try and figure out who it is first?" Liette asked.

"A few days. A week at most." Parker nodded. She was being very lenient with Liette. She didn't want any sign of rebellion from the girl because of bitterness. Debra knew things were far from okay between them but at least they could keep it civil. She needed Liette at her best so that they could move forward with this case. "Until then sensitive information stays within those who need to know."

"Understood." Liette nodded promptly.

As Liette turned to leave the room Parker's voice sounded again. "Arnaut. Don't talk to Joe without an officer or two present." she ordered. It was definitely not just a request. Now that they knew how Joe felt about Liette Debra didn't feel safe letting the girl go in their on her own. Even with handcuffs Joe was a dangerous man.

"I won't." Liette said softly. "Good luck finding something."

{to those of you who are sticking with this story i just wanted to give a heads up, i'm going on a roadtrip this weekend so no new chapters will be posted until after monday. sorry!}


	22. Chapter 22 - Mole

Once she was back in Virginia Liette had holed herself away in a small office in the detention centre. Between the FBI agents, cops and security officers that had been around the prison on the night of her arrest there were twenty four files to go through and that didn't include Parker, Hardy, Weston or herself. Liette saw no point in going over her own file. She wasn't the mole. The other three didn't seem plausible from the start so her energy was best spent absorbing information about the others she wasn't familiar with. She nearly sorted the files into three different piles; FBI agents she was familiar with, FBI agents she did not know, cops and security guards.

File after file Liette's mind took in every bit of information that it could. One would be surprised how many of these men had violent backgrounds or came from troubled homes. Liette wasn't all that surprised herself. Law enforcement had the highest rate of spousal abuse.

Robert Finn had thought all the commotion over the media leakage would die down but since they still hadn't found Joey Matthews it was bound to be a string that someone needed to pull. He had overheard one of the other officers talking about Liette getting case files on everyone who worked this floor. It was her turn to dig. Finn knew that she'd never figure out that it was him. He was far too clever for that. It would be a definite accomplishment for him knowing that he had outsmarted Joe's little genius girl. It was something he wanted to watch from the front row. He asked around and then headed to the office that Liette was holed up in.

"Yes?" Liette jumped slightly as the door opened. The handsome cop who had stood by her cell door walked in. Her eyes focused in, trying to place a name with his face but that fell short. Perhaps she hadn't gone through his file yet. She still had quite the pile of cases to go through. She wasn't even sure what she was looking for. She needed some sort of evidence that one of these men or women could have been vulnerable to Joe's mind games. Liette knew what that looked like because she had experience with that vulerability.

Finn stalked into the room slowly. His every muscle seemed apparent through his tight uniform. He almost looked more like a male stripper than a real cop. You couldn't help but look at him. He felt Liette's eyes upon him and that made him grin. Every look he had ever received had just fed his narcissistic personality more and more. He was confident that she wouldn't figure out he was one of Joe's because he didn't fit the profile. Nothing about him was vulnerable and she'd probably deem him too arrogant to even consider being under someone else. She was right; Joe was just a means to an end. "What are you working on?"

"Just some things for the case." Liette shrugged, allowing her eyes to fall back to the paper. She didn't bother looking up as Finn came further into the office. He grabbed a chair from the back corner and pulled it up to the desk beside her. Liette gave him a sideways glance but then returned back to the files.

Finn's eyes scanned over the file she was looking at but then he sat back and allowed his stare to drift to her face. She was a decent looking woman but he didn't find her overly gorgeous. Still, if she had wanted to drop this desk work and do something else on the desk right now he wouldn't have objected. Every woman was satisfied after a go with him. He was convinced that he was every woman's dream. But that was not the reason he had tracked down Liette. "Don't you think having this guy on the outside would speed things up." he suggested, a sly smirk on his face.

"If you mean increase the rate at which people are dying then I'd say yes." she shook her head. She really didn't have time for him. He was probably just another hot shot cop who thought that that FBI were blind in everything about this case. They had missed quite a few things and people had died because it. Liette's heart dropped a little as she thought of Troy. He had been Weston's best friend and wingman. She could remember the agent joking about how she never gave Mike a chance.

"No, I mean...if he was out and about he could lead us right to each member." Finn suggested. He wouldn't have cared less if all the other members of the cult were eventually rounded up and imprisoned. They were all pretty much ready to die for Joe which made them a little crazy in Finn's book. Joe had been good for one thing; he had been an outlet to express all this through. He wasn't a god or an idol. The others needed to see that.

"Joe wouldn't do that."

"Not on purpose, but he's screwed up before...because of you." Liette's reaction to these words said it all. It was not surprising that word had gotten around her about Joe's confession. Now everyone was bound to look at her differently. They had already started doing that once Parker had decided to cuff her. Now it would be worse.

"Do I know you?" Liette asked. She wanted some alone time and this guy was crowding her.

"Robert Finn. I work surveillance for solitary confinement." Liette knew that from the other night. His eyes still remained in his memory. "Essentially I get to babysit Joe and the others." he said with a small laugh. It wasn't exactly his dream job but it kept him in the loop. He liked to be in the centre of things. He couldn't imagine what it would have been like to have been in Jacob or Paul's roles. They had to stay out of sight. Finn had never been good at that kind of thing. "So what are you trying to do?"

"Build a profile and get to know everyone here,"

"You know you could just talk to us." he suggested.

"Trust me this is faster,"

"I'll leave you to it then."


	23. Chapter 23 - The Draw Out

Two days later the team returned from Duchess County without Joey Matthews. They had no clue where the psychotic trio had taken off to with the boy and nothing from the house seemed to be helping. Liette met them in the briefing room after grabbing a cup of coffee from the break room. "Did you guys find anything?" she asked them but she could tell by the sour look on Hardy's face that searching the house had been a waste of time.

"Nothing, the house was clean other than the girl." Debra shook her head. "Her name was Meghan Leeds, she was abducted after work last week. They pulled a surveillance video from the story. It was definitely Paul Torres." Mike had analyzed the security tapes over and over again but there was nothing. The trail had gone cold one more.

"Did we figure out how she fits in?" Liette asked.

"He seemed to just be there by chance. He approached another woman before her but was avoided. She went with him willingly it seems." Mike explained.

"They're going off script. They're screwing up." the deduction was obvious and it didn't help. Joey Matthews was still missing and screw ups by the trio would likely only lead to consequences for that little boy.

"Yeah but not enough to get us Joey." Ryan said gruffly from the background. He was drinking more. It was obvious just by the way he was holding himself. Slowly but surely Joe was truly getting to him. First with Sarah Fuller, then his sister and now Joey. It was only a matter of time before Ryan became too tired to really be of any help. They needed to make some progress so he could actually be useful.

"What about you? Any progress?" Parker asked.

"I've been doing some thinking and I think we need to move Joe."

That hadn't been what Debra was expecting. Liette wasn't usually the time to give up. She would often keep going when it was time to move on. Debra imagined the girl hadn't slept much since she had come back to Virginia. It definitely didn't look like Liette had even been back to the hotel. Her new clothes suggested that she had but she could have easily sent someone to get those for her.

"So you don't know who the mole is?"

"No, not yet. but I want to be in the truck when they move him."

Another thing that Debra hadn't been expecting was this. She had been pretty sure that Liette was going to begin doing everything in her power to avoid Joe as much as possible but that wasn't the case. Now she was deliberately throwing herself back in with him. This time she wouldn't be able to blame Debra for the psychological damage dealing with a man like Joe could cause.

"Why? That's insane." Mike protested.

"It isn't about moving Joe." Liette began to explain her plan. Two days of going over the same files had left her with very little. Many of these cops could have been persuaded to join Joe while others didn't seem to fit. Nothing had helped. "We need to ask for volunteers here to be his escort. Whoever is the mole isn't going to be able to resist the chance to get this involved." they needed to draw whoever the mole was out. They'd be looking for the attention from Joe whether or not this all fit with Joe's storyline. "I'll be able to profile them before we even reach the other facility."

"I'll go then." Parker suggested instead.

"No." Liette's protest was immediate and warranted. The others had been working the Joey Matthews aspect of the case but Liette had put all her energy on this. This wasn't about being able to go through with her own idea but it was about who was most equipped to deal with the situation. "Parker. I just spent forty eight hours pouring over these files. This guy is going to tip me off the moment we get in that vehicle. Besides, if I'm there they won't try and break Joe out." Liette added, attempting to strengthen her argument.

"Because Carroll won't risk you as a casualty." Hardy nodded.

"Exactly."

Ryan couldn't help but see Liette's point. He was sure that Joe would have no problem killing a different FBI agent but Liette was too important. Ryan would have volunteered to be in the van himself but he would be of no help looking for the profile at this point. Liette knew what she was looking for and that made her the expert in this case.

"Fine." Debra said, her voice firm and full of annoyance. It was clear she didn't really care for this plan but it was all they had. Even if Liette couldn't sniff out the mole at least they could get Joe to a new location and therefore away from whoever the mole was. Unless it was one of the technical analysts; they would move with the case. It was all very complex. Still, Parker's main concern right now was Liette's safety. "You're going to be armed and if anyone so much as touches you you shoot them. That includes Carroll."

"I know how to do my job Parker."

"I don't want you to let your emotions get in the way."

"They won't." It was a valid point but Liette didn't like what her boss was insinuating. If she had to kill Joe to save herself or someone else Liette would gladly pull the trigger. That was why she had a gun. Maybe if that happened she could finally escape the nightmares. The idea flashed through her mind but she knew it would never be enough. Joe would likely haunt her from the grave especially with all that he had told her now.

"I'll round everybody up."

The only people invited to this meeting were those who had been on the floor when Liette had been arrested. Every person who had been in the case files she had poured over now sat in one room. Liette recognized them now that she had memorized their files. Her eidetic memory worked into overdrive; pulling bits of pieces out about everyone who came in and took a seat. She stood at the front of the room but to the side. Parker would do all the talking; Liette was just here to observe.

Parker looked out into the crowd at all those waiting for her to speak. It bothered her knowing that the mole was somewhere in the crowd. She gave a small explanation of what was going on. She detailed that Carroll would be moved to the he Federal Correctional Institution in Petersburg, Virginia. They'd be moving headquarters there a day after Joe's transfer. That was when Parker asked for volunteers to transport Carroll.

No one's hand shot up right away. The other BAU members kept their hands down at their sides. Liette prayed it wasn't one of them. Tricking a profiler with something like this would be tricky but Liette had also come to like most of the people she had met in the bureau. Slowly one of the guards raised his hand slowly. He was followed by three more and then finally another. One driver and four in the back. That was what they needed. Liette looked around and noted their names in her memory. Jared Miller, Lincoln Carter, Karl Wright, Harold Martins, and Robert Finn.

"We're making arrangements as we speak. He'll be transported tomorrow night. Go home and get some sleep." Parker finished and dismissed everyone from the room. The woman than shifted her body to the left and looked back at Liette. "That means you too Arnaut. I want you rested for this."

Liette nodded and headed off. Hardy approached Parker, shaking his head as he did so. "You really think she's going to get any sleep tonight?"

"Oh of course not, just makes me feel better telling her to."

_Waiting by the door of Joe Carroll's classroom Ryan was suddenly struck by the body of a young girl. He had been waiting for Joe to finish talking to this student after class so he could steal him away for a little while."Sorry, apparently I should get some glasses." the blonde girl replied._

_"No worries. You alright?" Ryan asked a friendly smile on his face._

_"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks." she nodded but then turned back to look for Joe who was following right behind her. "Ryan! It was nice to see you in class again." Joe exclaimed as he shook hands with the FBI agent._

_"It was an interesting lesson." Ryan complimented. Joe had been teaching about Chaucer today. Ryan was being nice but in reality the two hour lecture had been a long amount of time for him to sit and listen to something that had nothing to do with his case._

_"I would have warned you I wasn't speaking about Poe had I known you were coming." Joe excused. He did prefer Poe over Chaucer but the course wasn't just on Poe. He did have to speak about other authors all the time._

_"No worries, I was hoping I could talk to you now anyway."_

_"Sure. Liette, can I meet you in a bit?" he asked turning to the student._

_"I'll grab our coffees." the blonde girl said with a bright smile. "Sorry again." she said to Ryan before she turned away and went down the hall. Ryan and Joe both watched her for a moment but as Ryan's eyes came back to Joe he noticed that the man was still staring down the hall at the blonde. It wasn't until she was out of sight that Joe brought his attention back to Ryan._

_"She's a very bright girl,"_

_"She's a favorite?"_

_"We're not supposed to have those." Joe reminded him._

_"But..." Ryan teased_

_"But we do." Joe said as he allowed his eyes to look down the hall that Liette had just vanished from. He liked many of his students but Ryan could tell that he liked her at least just a bit more."She's so bright and you can see it in her eyes every time she speaks. There's just something about her and those eyes..."_

Ryan woke up suddenly, disturbed by the fact that it had been a memory to haunt him as opposed to a dream. It made him sick as he realized that the events of his nightmare had actually happened. His mind woke him up, knowing he needed to remember this encounter. It was awful when your actual life could look like a nightmare to most people. Many could walk away from their nightmares but Ryan's was a living reality. Tonight his memory brought back a conversation he had deemed unimportant at the time. Now he saw the connections and guilt started to ride in his stomach.

Joe had pretty much told him Liette was the trigger and yet he had missed it.

Half a bottle of vodka later and Ryan was marching down the hall. His hand tapped on the door of Liette's room. It was two in the morning but he doubted she was sleeping. His thoughts were confirmed as Liette's voice came from the room.

"Who is it?"

"It's Hardy." he replied.

Liette opened the door. She was in a black pair of silk pajama pants and a plain red tank top. Her blonde hair was thrown into a ponytail and her make-up was wiped clean off her face. It was disturbing to Ryan. Take away her FBI apparel and it was quite easy to see the remnants of the nineteen year old girl he had bumped into all those years ago. She had been insignificant at the time but now she had become the key to figuring out Joe. "Have you come to bond?" she asked with a small, bitter laugh.

"Confess actually. Drink?" Ryan asked holding up his bottle.

"Never really liked vodka." Liette said as she walked inside and allowed Ryan to join her. She took a seat on a chair at the far side of the room, pouring herself another glass of her own alcohol. Ryan's eyes observed the movement as Liette held up her glass to him. The golden liquid and the scent wafting around in the room told him that she had gotten into the hard stuff.

"A whiskey girl." Ryan shook his head. "Yeah, I didn't expect that." He had imagined Liette would have been the type to sit down with a glass of wine and a book. Whiskey was a lot harder than what he pictured for her. Plus, she wasn't very big and by the amount that was gone from the bottle Hardy could only assume she was well past her limit.

"So what is it?" Liette asked.

"He told me...Joe told me it was you and I didn't realize it."

"How?"

Hardy explained the memory to her. Liette's lips found the rim of her glass very quickly as she took it all in. It had been there all along and no one had seen it. Joe had complimented her eyes all the time. She had always thought he was foolish. Who actually liked brown eyes? Then again, Liette had been captivated by Joe's and they were brown as well.

"It isn't your fault." Liette said.

"But I could have...had I..."

"You know what your problem is Ryan?" Liette confronted him, something she probably wouldn't have done had she not been drinking. "You're a counterfactual thinker. You always think about how things could have been different. Most people do it but the problem is that you let it make you drink."

"Says the girl who drank half a bottle of whiskey." Hardy retorted.

"Touché."


	24. Chapter 24 - Upside Down

The next evening the armored truck was pulled out for Joe's movement. Liette had tossed on a pair of black jeans, a white top and her standard issue bullet proof FBI vest. She was ready to go. The whiskey from the night before was now just a distant memory. She was joined by the five men who had volunteered and then finally Joe. The other agents and Hardy stood at a distance watching as everything was done step by step. Joe was taken into the truck first and handcuffed to his seat. He didn't fight with anyone, he moved along in time and took his seat willingly. His hands wiggled against the chains but only so he could find a comfortable position. Meanwhile, Liette and the others stood outside waiting for instructions from Parker. Joe was quiet for now but everyone figured that wouldn't last long. He always seemed to find something to say.

"I want Robert Finn to drive, I've profiled the guy already, he's not the mole." Liette informed Debra as they stood to the side of the truck talking in hushed voices. Debra was surprised to hear they had already eliminated one of the suspects before they even got into the truck. That was efficient and impressive. Liette seemed to be back on her game and Debra was happy about that. The past few days had definitely been unnerving but she needed all her agents on their best.

"You sure?"

"The guy is a classic narcissist. He wouldn't play by Joe's rules." Liette explained.

"Fair enough. Officer Finn, you're driving." Parker ordered as she and Liette rounded the truck again. They needed to be leaving in ten minutes if they wanted to stay on schedule. Parker was all about maintaining the timeline that she had set out for them today. Everything needed to be timely and they needed to get this done. They had lost Jordy Raines so it was important to get another cult member in custody. Tearing apart the cult piece by piece would help them bring Carroll down and bring an end to this case.

"Yes ma'am." Robert smiled at both Debra and Liette.

Liette rolled her eyes but moved on without another word. Luckily she wouldn't have to deal with Finn and his big mouth on the drive because she was going to sit in the back with Joe and the others; watching their every move. She allowed the officers to get in first and noted that they left her the spot on the bench right across from Joe. Thankfully she didn't have to sit beside him. Their proximity would be close enough with her across.

Joe's eyes lit up when he watched the blonde climb into the truck and take a seat. He was bewildered. He had thought that his time with Liette would become minimal or obsolete after his last reveal but instead she was coming with him for his transfer. He couldn't get rid of his grin. He was oh so pleased with how things were turning out. Just this little bit of time with her would surely make this trip worth it. It also meant he was going to have an exciting new chapter in his book. The book had so many twists and turns that he had not accounted for. They were still very much on track but they went off script just enough to make this all a bit more fun. "You're coming with me?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"Figured I'd keep you company." she said to him, her voice was soft but that was because she figured playing nice with Joe was the only way this ride would be somewhat comfortable. She would not let him break her. The night away from Joe had given her some time to think. She had to start thinking like him again with his flawlessness and his romanticism. She needed to get into his brain and play to his fantasies so he'd break for her. He wasn't indestructible and therefore he could be taken down, she just needed to chip away at his brilliant shell.

"Well I'm delighted."

Liette didn't respond. Instead she looked around the back of the vehicle to become aware of her surroundings. It was your standard type of armored vehicle. There was really nothing special about it at all. She hadn't ridden in one of these often but she didn't think it would be so bad. It was just like sitting in the back of a truck but with a top on it. She had done that before at her grandfathers all the time. The lack of windows was the only difference.

"Good to go?" Parker asked, poking her head in. Her eyes cast at the group of men and then poor Liette. Debra felt bad for her at first but then she remembered that Liette wasn't just some sad girl who had been thrown in there. Liette Arnaut was an agent and she was a damn good one; it was time to start treating her like one again.

"Ready whenever." Finn called back from the driver's seat.

"Call when you get to Petersburg." Debra's eyes met Liette and searched for a nod. She hoped they were doing the right thing here. She didn't want this all to go wrong and find out that she had basically served Liette to Joe on a platter. No, that didn't make sense; Liette had asked to go. This was her show and therefore Debra had to trust that everything was going to turn out alright. Perhaps this would be the first thing to get them somewhere in days. Maybe the mole would have some idea of where Joey Matthews had been moved to.

"The moment we're there." Liette nodded.

"Have fun."

"Oh I'm sure we will." the blonde gave a curt laugh and then watched as the doors were closed. She was now locked in a small space with five men; one of them a killer who killed because of her. She suddenly realized that this was not the same as those truck rides she had gone through with her grandfather when she was a child. This was different and it was frightening. The lack of windows did make a difference. It became claustrophobic almost immediately but Liette tried to breathe. The air would become stale and bland but the drive shouldn't be too bad.

"It's been so nice to see you again." Joe started talking, his voice soft and filled with wonder as he looked at Liette. He wanted to really speak to her. He imagined that it was just them and that the shackles didn't exist. His mind played with the fantasy and he really tried to focus on it. If only they could be how they once were. Those afternoons in his office, Sundays at the coffee shop...all of it had been so perfect. He had ruined it with his actions. He had ruined them. But as a romantic Joe liked to believe he could still get it all back. He liked to fantasize about a day when he could speak to Liette without chains and restraints. For now he would just have to imagine what that would be like. "I have to tell you that gun doesn't suit you."

"I promise you I'm a good shot." she said very quickly.

"I heed your warning." he liked to think that she wouldn't shoot him but he had shook up her world so much lately that perhaps that was exactly what she wanted to do. She looked tired and exasperated. She was spent. Joe felt terrible for doing that to her but everyone had needed to know the truth. It had taken so long to come clean but finally the air was clear. They could move on from their secret history and wander into the present...maybe even the future.

"So may I ask why I'm being moved?" Joe inquired.

"Your previous lodging had a rodent problem."

He genuinely laughed at her comment. The rat. He had watched Robert Finn round the truck. He wondered if that was who was driving. It would certainly be amusing. Joe was not at all surprised that Liette hadn't figured it out yet. Finn was different than the others. He wasn't an idiot like Jordy but Joe actually found that he liked him less. Still, Joe knew he had to build a useful team not a mindless one. Men like Finn were diamonds in the rough; he had needed to be shaped out to become every menacing thing he had ever wanted to be.

"You are such a clever girl." Joe complimented after her comment "Well...you're hardly a girl anymore but you know what I mean." his eyes fell down for a moment and he smiled. Then the brown spheres picked back up and took in every inch of Liette that he could see. He imagined her out of her FBI uniform in something more forgiving and innocent. The white lace dress she had worn in the summer time came to mind. Her face needed no imaginary alterations. She wore little make-up but just enough to define her gorgeous eyes and luscious lips. Claire was a beautiful woman too but Joe had always believed that Liette was built perfectly. In his eyes she was the very essence of beauty.

"But I'm not quite as clever as you. I could have never thought up all this." Joe's plans were magnificent but Liette wasn't paying him a real compliment. She was just talking to see if she could gage reactions from him and the guards.

"Are you impressed?" he asked.

"Mystified."

There was something about the way she said the word that gave it all away. She was not at all being candid with him. She was putting on some sort of act so she wouldn't seem angry with him or frightened even. She held a grudge from the other day. She truly had not liked hearing that she was his inspiration. He had hoped that she would have been flattered but naturally she had been disgusted. That didn't shame Joe, he just knew he had much work to do before she would see the world his way.

"You don't need to act with me Liette, take down the walls." he shook his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about." her very statement showed how defensive she was. Her body language spoke volumes. Her arms were crossed across her chest and her back was straight up against her seat. She was sheltered and reserved; no doubt she did not want to be hurt by him again. He had not intended for all of this to be so painful for her.

"You get cynical when you're defensive or frightened." she knew he was right but she wouldn't admit it. She wouldn't dare show weakness in front of him again. He continued to break her piece by piece and that had to end. It just wasn't fair anymore. She needed to be able to hold herself together despite his adversity. He understood her well from their past but Liette wanted to show that she had matured and was more than he had ever seen of her before. She wanted to prove to him that she was indeed better than him.

"I'm not scared of you." her voice was strong but her body quivered slightly. She was absolutely terrified of him at times. He haunted her at night but also in the day. She was constantly reminded of all the times they had had together. She hated herself for missing it all. It was all so conflicting. She loathed the man who had killed those girls but she missed her best friend. She missed the man she had fallen in love with. Liette had never felt that way before or since. She was afraid that he had truly ruined love for her.

Liette looked down at her phone. The clock was up on the screen; she had been watching it the whole time. No one had paid much attention to it but now her eyes were staring at the second hand as it ticked away. Joe's eyes caught her motion and he leaned forward just slightly to see the clock on the screen. He watched Liette's lips move in anticipation. She was waiting for something.

Ten seconds.

"What are you anticipating?"

Five seconds.

"Liette?"

The clock's second hand hit the twelve. Suddenly the left side of the truck tilted and the entire vehicle began to roll. The officers with her had not been prepared for it. Their guns flew out of their hands and they were suddenly thrown across the back of the truck. Joe and Liette had been the only ones strapped in. Them and the driver.

Finn held onto the steering wheel with a tight grip. He had driven the armed vehicle off a slight ridge. It rolled and eventually landed on it's side. His shoulder slammed into the door and he let out a small yelp. It was probably dislocated or something but right now that didn't matter. He needed to move out of his seat and get out of the vehicle before too much time lapsed. He pulled his legs up and tried to move out of his seat. His gun had shaken from the holster and was now lodged between the door and the seat. There was no way to really reach it. _Fuck it_. Climbing from his seat Finn pulled himself up towards the passengers side and pushed open the unlocked door. He used his strength to pull himself up onto the side of the truck.

Ten minutes. This all had to get done in ten minutes.

The unbelted officers had hit the roof of the truck with such force that they were all out cold. None of them had belted in because they had felt safer being free to move around if Carroll tried to pull something. That had been a mistake. Liette had remained in her seat but the trashing had caused her to hit her head lightly. There was a gash on her forehead but otherwise she was quite alright. Joe had hit the back of his head on the wall of the truck so he wasn't fully unconscious but he was definitely dazed.

"Lets go." Finn's voice sounded as he opened the door. Joe blinked, astonished that an asshole like Robert Finn had pulled this off. He had picked Finn because he was intelligent but the man wasn't always compliant. Right now Joe was wondering how this had all worked but then he noticed that he wasn't who Finn was talking to.

_ It had been a long night reading over all the files of the staff working a the detention centre. Liette had made diagrams and piles for everyone who could possibly be involved and then it came to her. A flash of genius that showed her how it all added up. Robert Finn didn't fit the profile but that was because of profile of the mole was wrong. The mole wasn't another hero worshiping lunatic who followed Joe's every word. The mole was something different._

_ "Hey Finn. I know it's you." Liette's voice had been strong when she found Finn in the parking garage of the detention centre. He had come out for some fresh air but had no intent of leaving. Liette had seen him around all hours. His shifts could not possibly be that long. That had been a hint that spoke volumes to her. He was around because he needed to constantly be in the centre of this whole plot. _

_ "Pardon?" Robert spun around to catch the little genius FBI agent stalking up to him._

_ "You're Joe's mole."_

_ How had she figured it out? Robert had been so sure that his guise was flawless. This didn't make sense. No one could outsmart him like that. Joe must have told her. Still, Finn decided keeping his cool was the best idea. He would deny his affiliation with Carroll to the end of the earth. There was no way he was going to end up in prison for being an accomplice to a serial killer._

_ "What makes you think I'd work for an asshole like Carroll." he scoffed._

_ "Because you didn't know how to get started on your own. Joe gave you a way to start doing everything you ever dreamed about, didn't he?" Liette theorized. She was right and she knew she was right. No one else made sense. She had even found out that Finn had been dropping breadcrumbs and accusing another member of staff of speaking to Carroll too often. He was trying to lead the trail off himself."You're a classic narcissist, doesn't it bother you that this all has his name on it? No one even knows who you are." _

_ "Shut up." Finn snapped._

_ "Everyone knows who Joe is but you're a nobody," she was baiting him in the best way possible. His narcissistic personality disorder would not approve of her taking shots at his ego. It was far too easy to poke this bear with a stick. His rage would escalate quickly and his emotions would get the better of him. That would put him just where she wanted him. _

_ "I said shut up!"_

_ "He gets all the fame and you sit here watching."_

_ "Little bitch." he snapped. Suddenly his arm was at her throat and she was up against the back of the car."I'll kill you." his voice was raised but Liette tried to show no fear. She didn't need to feed into his personality. He couldn't have emotional power over her even if he had physical power. _

_ "I wouldn't if I were you." she said, struggling slightly against his arm. The hold was tight but he wasn't cutting off her air supply."I have a deal for you."_

_ "What?" his arm dropped slightly. Why was an FBI agent out here trying to make a deal with him? This sounded like a trap but he couldn't help but be intrigued. What could she possibly have to offer him? _

_ "You want fame. I can give you that." she said slowly. Her new plan was beginning to unfold right in front of Finn's eyes. He was suddenly conflicted with his opinion on Joe's little dove. What was she getting at now? Liette had a line to snag him in."How would you like to be known as the man who helped Joe Carroll escape?"_

It had all been her plan. She had seen the weakness in transferring Joe the moment Parker had brought it up. Driving to Petersburg involved an old back road that no one seemed to take anymore. It kept a dangerous criminal away from civilization but it also made for the perfect intervention of this vehicle. She had known exactly where and when they could get away with flipping the truck like this. So far the plan had worked perfectly.

"Joe. Get up." Liette said as she unlocked his handcuffs and took them off his wrists. His fingers touched his left wrist carefully; feeling his freedom. His hands then came up to Liette's face softly. She flinched slightly but then allowed him to touch her cheek. He marveled at her for a moment. She had come around. She had seen his side of things. They could be together now. He just hoped that she hadn't done all this in hopes to stop the killing. They had a book to write; nothing could be left unfinished.

"Liette, love you're bleeding." he remarked as he leaned forward, trying to steady himself on the side of the truck. He stepped carefully away from the pile of officers. They had crumbled on top of each other in the fall and didn't appear to be getting up any time soon. That was a good thing.

"There isn't time." Liette said, pulling open a drawer in the back of the van. Inside were three sets of handcuffs. She had the fourth attached to her belt. She didn't touch them at first, instead she slipped on a pair of gloves and then grabbed them. This had to look like it was orchestrated by Joe and Finn. "You need to cuff them." she said, handing him the cuffs.

"What is going on?" Joe asked.

"Joe, do what she says. We're running out of time." Finn was impatient. He wanted his fame but he also wanted the hell out of here. While Joe quickly cuffed the officers to the benches in the truck Liette crawled out and stood with Finn for a moment. She observed his face and tried to hold back a laugh. She had never seen someone look so smug.

Finn's eyes were focused on Joe and the officers. He was thinking about how amusing it would to do more than just cuff them and leave them. That had been Liette's deal. She didn't want any blood on her hands but his fantasy didn't involve her at all. He wanted to kill again but he had to snap out of it; they didn't have time.

"Nice driving." Liette said as she wiped some of the blood from her forehead. She'd need to get that cleaned up once they were out of here or it would definitely get infected.

"You said you wanted them out cold." Finn shrugged.

"I also said I'd like to come out of this alive." she sneered at him.

"You look quite alive to me." his blood was boiling. He stepped away from her and tried to calm himself down. He'd love to have his arm on her throat again. This time she wouldn't get away. He'd suffocate the life out of her. She'd be gone. It was all right there in front of him. Carroll would be enraged but maybe Finn could kill him too. A bloodbath. It would be beautiful.

Finn was so distracted by whatever he was thinking about that he hadn't noticed Liette pull her gun from her holster. He turned to say something to her, planning his strike but he was suddenly caught but a gunshot to the shoulder.

"Liette!" Joe's voice raised at the gunshot, ripping around to make sure she wasn't hurt. He was stunned to see her standing over Finn's body. He had stumbled back from the shock of the shot and was now holding his arm, screaming up at the blonde who kept her gun trained on him.

"Bitch! What are you doing!?"

"Tying up loose ends." she said with a small smirk on her face. She hadn't liked playing nice with Robert. He had kept trying to come onto her when they had planned this whole thing out. She felt sick just thinking of his hand sliding up her thigh to feel her skin or his breath in her face as he tried to lean closer to her. She had resisted all of his advances quite easily. She had no interest in a man like him. It had been over eight months since she had fired her weapon at another person; it felt good to have her target be a misogynist asshole like Finn.

"You'll pay for this." he said through gritted teeth. He was clutching his shoulder. It had already been in pain from the crash but now it was completely fucked. A little lower and she could have severed an important artery. Naturally Liette had aimed for a spot that would keep him down but hopefully not kill him. Murdering someone in cold blood definitely was not her style. He had a great chance of living but that meant he also had a great chance of squawking. She needed to ensure that Parker and the others wouldn't suspect her. This all had to be on Joe.

"Now if you're still alive when they get here you're going to tell them something jumped out in front of truck. You're going to tell him that Carroll managed to break free while the others were unconscious. He handcuffed them and then shot you when you tried to stop him from taking me." she gave her instructions to him carefully. He'd be known as the man who let Carroll escape but definitely not in the way he had thought he would be.

"Fuck you."

"Robert, listen. If you don't want to end up in jail where they'll take advantage of a pretty boy like you you'll do as I say and then you'll get as far away from Virginia as possible." Liette crouched down, grabbing Finn by the shirt collar and tugging him closer to her. Her lips grazed his ear as she went to whisper with him. This was the part that Joe couldn't hear. This was the part that Finn definitely hadn't been expecting. "I promise you, when I'm done with this I'll be back for you too, you won't get away with this but I'll give you a head start." her brown eyes flashed and met his blue ones with a cold stare.

"She's playing you Joe." Finn said with a bitter laugh but Liette wasn't worried about his words. Joe would believe her over him soon enough. She had figured it all out. She was doing nothing from within the bureau so now it was time to drop the rules and play her own game.

"Help! Please! Someone! Help!" Liette screamed suddenly, ignoring Finn's incessant rant that Joe was being an idiot. If any of the officers in the back of the truck had come to they'd now hear the sounds of her being taken away by Joe Carroll. Her voice became distant as she moved towards a car that had been hidden off the side of the road; waiting for them. She stopped the screaming and turned back to look at the man she just freed. "Are you coming Joe? Or are you going to wait for them to come arrest you again?" she asked, her lips giving him a small smile. He wasn't sure what to think but he was suddenly free. He had the choice to try and take off on his own or he could go with Liette and there was no fibre of Joe that could resist that.


	25. Chapter 25 - For the First Time

Joe's eyes wouldn't leave Liette's face. He was attempting to study her but for the first time he had no idea what was going through her mind. What had caused the sudden change? She had been so determined to work against him and now they were driving down the interstate as if nothing had happened. Liette even had the radio on, music blaring as she sped down the road. Joe watched her, confused and enthralled by all that must be going on in her head. His followers thought that he was a genius but Joe knew that the real brilliant mind belonged to Liette.

Then suddenly her one hand left the wheel and took his.

Joe swallowed hard, he could hear his beating heart now. It was the biggest adrenaline rush to have her touch him. She was the one to reach out as opposed to the other way. Her delicate fingers squeezed around his hand and he felt his heart skip a beat. A love that had not been forgotten coursed through his veins in that instant. He had her with him; no bars, no restraints. Just the two of them.

The host on the radio announced a new song and then the introduction stuck a chord in Liette's heart. She took the tune in and let it bring a small smile to her face. This same smile was brought to Joe's attention as Liette cast her gaze over to him. His smile doubled as he took in her expression. There was no more hatred or fear in her eyes and that was revolutionizing Joe's world. The book would be so much greater now. What a story. In this one the classic villain would get a romance. Ryan could have Claire. Joe had many plans to see that entire relationship tortured and tried but now he had his own to focus on.

_She's all laid up in bed with a broken heart,_

_While I'm drinking jack all alone in my local bar,_

_And we don't know how,_

_How we got into this mad situation,_

_Only doing things out of frustration_

It was complicated, and messy. Liette's was struggling with her decision. This was what they meant when they talked about cognitive dissonance in her level one hundred psychology course back in school. Cognitive Dissonance was the feeling that you get all the time when faced with contradictory options and issues. In this case she knew what she was doing would get Robert Finn out of the picture but it would also take her out of the FBI. It meant she would get closer to Joe and the Cult but further away from her team. She had had to choose one. She told herself that the FBI were getting nowhere with Joe inside so perhaps with with him here she'd get further. She would make progress. That was what mattered. Joe cared for her and she could use that. It was in everybody's best interest even if they didn't realize it now.

"I need to thank you...but I just can't find the right words."

_But we're gonna start by_

_Drinking old cheap bottles of wine,_

_Sit talking up all night,_

_Saying things we haven't for a while_

Liette continued to drive but she gave slight glances over to him every little while. They had been in the car for over an hour now. The radio had continued to broadcast an alert for her and Joe but the only details were their physical appearances. They were calling it an abduction. That meant that Robert Finn was either dead or he had been smart and fed them the story that Liette had given him. Either way it meant that Parker would be freaking out and that the team would now have another kidnapped individual to search for. Liette knew Joe would be a priority but that wouldn't halt the search for Joey Matthews.

"You should change," Liette said, pulling the car into a service station. The store was closed but the bathrooms were open. Liette put the car in park and then reached into the back to grabbed the clothes she had bought and stashed in the car before she had sent Finn to drive it out to the accident site.

Joe got out of the car slowly, Liette was at his door before he was fully standing. Her hands thrust the clothing forward to him. He took it from her and smiled a sweet thank you to her. Carefully he leaned forward, slowly testing the waters. Liette shied away, turning her face so his lips touched her cheek instead of her own lips. That was enough for Joe for now. It could progress slowly. He could not hate her for not jumping into his arms. What she had done for him up to this moment was more than enough. It was definitely more than he had ever expected from her. He had had some ideas about how he was going to get out of prison but none of them had involved Liette. He was happy that she had decided to go off book.

While Joe changed Liette waited outside, taking in the chill spring air. It was now about ten o'clock at night. She had continued to drive west. She didn't know exactly where they were going yet but eventually she figured Joe would ask to go see someone. That would lead them to Paul, Jacob and Emma or maybe Maggie. Liette didn't care; she just wanted to see progress.

But then he came out changed and freshened up.

Suddenly helping Joe escape wasn't the only issue of cognitive dissonance that she had to deal with. This time it was Liette's heart that skipped a beat. She hadn't been thinking when she bought him those black dress pants and the pristine white dress shirt. He looked absolutely wonderful. It was much easier to hate him when he was in the orange jumpsuit with cuffs on his wrists but now he looked absolutely human. He looked like her Joe. He looked like the Joe she had spent time with every week; not the serial killer he had become.

_We just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time_

"Thank you for this." Joe said, straightening his shirt as he walked out to Liette. The two of them headed back towards the car, knowing that they couldn't linger long. They had to get on the road. There would be a country worth of law enforcement after them and that meant they needed somewhere to stay low. Everyone knew who Joe was and soon enough they would all recognize Liette's face as well. This wasn't going to easy but they would have to make it work.

And she'd be leaving breadcrumbs all the way.

"After what you said...I had to." she said.

"I meant it...it was all for you."

"No, not that." her face hardened slightly. She didn't want Joe thinking that his killings had somehow wooed her into falling back in love with him. She wouldn't stoop that low. In no way would she become one of them when it came to killing people as art. She wasn't capable of that.

She was capable of summoning up her old feelings. She could be honest about it all. She wasn't even really lying to Joe. Her heart did still feel for him and therefore she could use their past to stay connected to him. She distanced herself from the actual case and brought her mind back to their times together and the feelings between them.

"You said that you had loved me."

"I do love you."


	26. Chapter 26 - Frustration

"How the hell could this happen!?"

It really didn't matter who was asking the question because everyone was thinking it. Every agent that had rushed to the scene of the crime after the distress call had come in from the truck was wondering how this could have happened. These were professionals who were trained to deal with the worse and yet they couldn't make the short drive without fucking up royally. Robert Finn had called needing medical help and that had rushed every agent to his location. The other officers had come to by the time the agents had made it. Finn told the story of Joe getting a gun, forcing Liette to unlock his cuffs and then shooting Finn when he tried to save Liette. The other officers just remembered the truck overturning and one of them even recalled Liette's screams. It all led up to Joe taking Liette hostage and driving off with her.

Joe now had Liette and he was free to do whatever he wanted.

"Lets just hope that he hasn't built up the nerve to kill her."

"Why would you say something like that?" Mike snapped. Up until now he had been Ryan's biggest fan but right now he was angry. He kept thinking that had he been in the that truck that this would have never happened. He was already worried the next body they found would belong to Liette. He couldn't handle that. Being the one who had been there when Troy died had been too much for him so loosing another agent would be heartbreaking. They needed to get her back and to get Joe back behind bars again. Emotionally Mike was not strong enough to lose another friend. He had been somewhat close to Troy but Liette was closer to him. They had bonded even more with this case so if this took her away he would be broken.

"Weston, go home for a bit." Parker suggested. She was frazzled too but she had to keep herself together. She could not fall apart in front of her team. They had to appear strong. An agent had been taken today and they needed to stick together to get her back. They'd need strong leadership if that was ever going to happen. "Or go back to looking for Joey Matthews, you're no help out here."

"With all due respect Parker...fuck that." he was getting more and more insolent. Perhaps Ryan was rubbing off on him just a little too much. He was developing an attitude problem that Parker didn't want to deal with. She understood that Liette being taken was a personal issue for Mike but that didn't mean he was going to be helpful out here at all. Parker knew his emotions would probably get the best of him but she also knew that arguing was going to do her no good.

"Okay, what do we know?"

Everyone stopped for a moment to think. What did they know? What did they have to work with. The trail to find Joey Matthews had gone cold. Maggie had not been heard from since the serial killer fun house with Emily. And now they had to deal with Joe kidnapping Liette. They had no idea where he was headed or what he was going to do with her.

"We know that Finn can't fucking drive." Hardy cussed.

"Hardy, lower your voice." Parker was trying to stop fights from happening within the group. Everyone was more than agitated. Hardy was extra angry. She had noticed him drinking from his water bottle whenever he thought she wasn't looking. The thing had been full when he had come in today but now it was almost empty. She knew that wasn't a good sign. He would need to sleep off the buzz but Parker knew he would resist. She continued to face adversity within her own team. This case definitely wasn't the typical assignment. She was used to an easy team that took orders and worked together. She hadn't seen a truly cooperative team since before the Joe Carroll case. "I'm sure Finn feels awful and he was shot."

"He should feel awful! He just let a serial killer get free and get away with one of your agents!" Ryan's voice definitely hadn't lowered. Finn was just being loaded into the ambulance. He'd be off to the hospital and fine in now time. His shoulder was going to be injured for a while which took him off duty but he would definitely survive. He just needed them to patch him up so he could take off. He didn't want to risk them figuring out what had really happened.

"Guilt tripping him will not do anything." Parker insisted.

"We need to focus on getting Liette back." Mike interrupted.

"We need to focus on finding Joe." Hardy corrected him.

"What do we know?" Parker knew that letting Mike and Ryan bicker wasn't going to get them anywhere. They needed to put their heads together and think this out. They needed to work hard to get ahead. They could outsmart Joe. Ryan had caught him twice before. They needed to get inside the man's head again to catch him once more. The sooner the better. The sooner they caught Joe the more likely Liette would be found alive.

Parker knew that if Liette died it would be on her head.

"Finn didn't get a license plate, the car was a black sedan and that is all he knows." Mike recalled what Robert had said to them. He had almost walked away as Finn had quickly described what had happened. The paramedics insisted on getting him to the hospital so the conversation had been short but it had been long enough to piss everyone off.

"They continued down the road, there have been no calls about seeing them. They could be heading to meet Maggie, the trio or someone else. Or he could just be keeping her to himself." Parker added what she knew.

"So we don't know much of anything." Mike admitted.

The three of them stood together, bewildered that this could happen. They didn't understand how Joe was so lucky. This seemed like a breakout plan orchestrated by a genius and yet it appeared the mole hadn't been among the volunteers at all. Parker didn't even want to think about the fact that they still had to worry about the mole. She couldn't handle that responsibility right now. She had too much on her plate already. She was focused on what both Ryan and Mike wanted. Joe and Liette. But there was also Joey Matthews. It was impossible to prioritize.

"We do know Liette is a smart girl. She'll be okay." Parker said, at first she was reassuring herself but then she looked at Mike's face. Claire Matthews had showed the most pain in what she had lost so far but Mike came close second. It was clear that this abduction had cut him deep. Liette was his dear friend and perhaps a little more than that in his heart. He coudln't stand the thought of her being prey to Joe's cruel ways. "She will be just fine Mike." Parker added for his benefit. They needed to find someone. It didn't matter who. One person would lead to another, Parker was sure of it.


	27. Chapter 27 - Elizabeth City

Liette woke up in a crappy motel to find Joe's eyes staring at her from his spot beside her. It was nice to know that he hadn't killed her in her sleep. She had worried about that and let him fall asleep first but eventually exhaustion had taken her too. This had already been such a wild ride. They had needed sleep but Liette had known that they didn't have long. They couldn't stay in one place for two long until they found somewhere that was secure. This motel was out in the middle of nowhere. Joe had stayed in the car when she had went in to get a room. They couldn't risk him being recognized. Liette knew by now her picture would be all over the news too but she had pulled her hair back and put on a pair of glasses to disguise herself. The man at the front desk didn't seem to notice; he was just happy to have a paying customer.

Joe was still in euphoria. He could not believe he had spent the night by Liette's side. He hadn't dare touched her. He had watched as she put her gun on the bedside table. He was not interested in it but he was weary of startling her. She still seemed to be somewhat defensive. Perhaps she didn't trust him fully yet. That was understandable. She didn't need to worry. He had no reason to kill her anymore. Her death had been planned all those years ago because they could not truly be together but now there were no restraints. He just needed to make her fall in love with him again.

"Good morning beautiful,"

_"Liette, sweetheart, wake-up."_

_ Joe's voice had startled Liette. She shook awake and began to look around, confused and lost. The last thing she had remembered was Joe reading to her in his drawing room. Claire was out of town with Joey and Joe had offered to have Liette over for dinner. This meeting had not been helpful for slaying the crush she was developing on her professor but she had agreed to come over anyway. _

_ She was not quite legal yet but Joe had served wine with the fantastic pasta he had made for them. They had talked over dinner before moving to the couches in the drawing room. She sat across from him, listening to his voice slide over Poe's words carefully. She gave him a smile every once in a while but eventually she felt her body get heavy. It was as if her muscles weighed more than they should and the room started to spin a little._

_ That was when she passed out._

_ Waking up now Liette thought she had just fallen asleep. She apologized profusely but Joe just insisted on driving her back to her apartment. She suggested a cab. She didn't need her roommates teasing her about her professor giving her a ride home. It wouldn't be the first time. Joe refused to let her go home on her own; he needed to ensure that she got inside. _

_ But Joe had known that it wasn't just fatigue that had made Liette pass out. _

_ The little white pill Joe had crushed up and put in Liette's drink had done just the job. She had been out cold on his couch within an hour. Joe knew he had quite a bit of time before he came to so he had taken his time; attempting to talk himself through it. _

_ He had planned on killing her._

_ But just like the night on the ice rink he felt himself conflicted. He had now killed nine girls but killing Liette was different. The others just seemed to come to him and ask for it. Now that he looked at Liette passed out on his couch he could see that she was definitely not asking for it. He already hated himself for drugging her, now he was going to feel even worse for killing her. He paced back in forth in the drawing room, knife in his hand ready for the kill. The knife was ready but he definitely was not. It was all too much. She was too beautiful; too perfect. This wasn't right. He pulled Poe back out and searched for a sign but everything was telling him that this wasn't the right choice._

_ He had to go back to killing surrogates._

_ Kendall Harris died that night, just an hour after Joe dropped Liette off. He later remarked being thankful that he hadn't let her go alone home. It could have been dangerous for her. Of course Liette still didn't know that she had been well out of danger once she had left Joe's side. _

Waking up in this position with Joe was definitely more comfortable than it had been all those years ago. Joe preferred it too. He had felt so guilty about his attempts to murder Liette. It hadn't mattered how many surrogates he killed, it had never been enough to give him the strength to go through with it to her. She meant far too much to him. Now he didn't have to think about that. He had no plans of killing her. There were many others he couldn't wait to get his hands on but she was most definitely not on his list.

"Good morning," Liette said with a quiet yawn. She looked over at the clock and let out a sigh. It was ten in the morning. They couldn't stay much longer. She needed a shower and then they could get out of here. "I'm just going to shower."

"May I join you?" Liette's face gave him the answer. "Too soon. I was only kidding." Of course he would have sprung right up had she said yes. She gave him a forgiving smile and crawled out of bed. He watched her every movement, especially the move where she picked up her gun and brought it to the bathroom with her. He chuckled at this. She was being far to cautious but he wouldn't say anything about it.

After her heard the water running Joe got out of bed and threw his new clothing on. He could shower when they got to their new resting point. This time Joe actually had some idea of where that would be. He would tell Liette where they could go find Joey; and she'd get to see the others. It would be her first meeting with Emma. Joe hoped they'd get along. Perhaps Emma could be the little sister that Liette never had. They could all be a family. And he'd finally get to see his son.

He hadn't forgot about that goal.

It had been ten years since Joe had last seen Joey's face in person. Emma had brought him photographs once she had moved in as Denise. The boy had grown so much. Joey looked like his mother but Joe was convinced that he and the boy would still share some traits. It would be fun to get to know him once they got to him.

Liette's ears were attuned to the room past the bathroom door. She was listening to hear any sort of movement that she didn't like. Her gun was resting on the counter beside the shower. She didn't want to hear Joe run off or come in here. He needed to stay put and that was exactly what she did. When she came back out in the room he was just sitting there, dressed and ready to go. Liette had dressed in the bathroom, feeling a bit too vulnerable to be unclothed in front of Joe. She had slept in her jeans last night because she had forgotten to put other pants in the car.

"Do you remember Duchess County?" Joe asked as he watched Liette pack up her remaining things.

How could she forgot Duchess County? Now that house had two meaning for her. The first was from the english society and the second was the image of Meghan Leeds dead body in the basement. Joe had no idea about all of that. No one had thought it would be a good idea to boost his ego by letting him know that his followers had gotten away with his son once again.

"If you're going to suggest going there I should let you know that they already found that house." she informed him. She was careful to say they instead of we. She didn't want him thinking that she was still acting as part of the FBI. He needed to trust her completely and therefore she had to shift her attitude so she was trustworthy. "Your people got away."

"With my son?" Joe clarified, a bit nervous that another chapter was a little messed up.

"Yes."

He let out a sigh. There was a second location to hold Joey. It wasn't quite as personal as the first one but it would do. It meant that he would still get to see his son and him and Liette could get away from the tail that they no doubt had on him. "Well then, we'll be going to Elizabeth City." he informed her with a nod. It would be a long drive but there was no one he would rather spend his time with than Liette.

"North Carolina?" she frowned. She didn't like the distance that they would have to be going but she had to push on. Leaving Joe just wasn't an option at this point. She had put it all on the line for him and therefore she had to stick with him. "You really had to plan this across state lines, didn't you?"

"Well we could stay in Virginia just the two of us...if you really wanted to." he suggested. He could wait to see his son if Liette planned on getting closer to him. It was a challenge but he knew she wasn't about to accept it. They'd be on the road for Carolina in no time.

"No...lets go to the others."

Driving was surprisingly easy. Liette got a little wigged out when she saw a cop car on the highway but she avoided tolls so no one actually got a look at their faces. She picked a car with tinted windows just for this reason. Joe talked aimlessly and she responded every once in a while. She got quieter when he talked about personal things but managed to lift the conversation up when he wanted to discuss literature or boring things like the weather. He didn't seem to care and when he did seem restless she held his hand again and everything was fine.

The house in Elizabeth City wasn't as nice as Lanes End had been. It was colonial style but it was much smaller. The house was grey with red shutters. The black door made the whole place look ominous. Liette got out of the car slowly and lingered until Joe walked over to her and took her hand. He was trying to assure her that she was safe here. This was not some trap to get her killed.

Walking inside the house with Joe Liette felt that something was wrong. There was no sound of a kid laughing or enjoying himself. It was silent for a moment and then she heard crying coming from down the hall. Crying mixed with heavy breathing. It wasn't the sound of a kid; it was the sound of a young woman. "Joe...something isn't right here." Liette's voice sounded, her hand was already on her gun. She didn't want to have to shoot someone but she could't let the two of them get arrested now.

"Who's there!?" Jacob Wells emerged with his own weapon pointed straight at the intruders. The handgun almost fell out of his hands when he noticed who was standing at the front door. It had been a while since he had actually been in contact with Liette. He had seen her just after her graduation and that was it. She wasn't hard to recognize though. He had had to look her up online for Joe all the time. "Liette? Joe!?" his voice raised more as he realized who the second person was. Jacob was thrown off by the fact that Liette was holding the gun. He had heard on the news that Joe had abducted her but that wasn't what had happened.

"What happened?" Joe asked, noticing that Jacob's shirt was dirty with blood.

Jacob beckoned them to follow him into the other room before he spoke. He didn't really have to answer the question because soon enough they saw what was going on. A young woman lay on the floor of the kitchen, her shoulder bleeding profusely despite the pressure a young man was putting on it. Emma and Paul. "Emma was shot." Jacob announced "She needs a hospital."

"She can't go to a hospital Jacob, her face is all over the news." Paul growled up at him. Jacob had been freaking out for the past twenty minutes. Paul now knew that Joe being here wasn't going to calm the other young man down. Paul was doing everything he could to help Emma but he knew taking her to the hospital just wasn't an option. They'd let her die before she was taken into custody by the FBI.

"Move out of the way, let me see her." Liette said, pushing past Joe to get closer to Emma. She couldn't see the wound because Paul was holding a cloth over it but if she got closer she had a feeling she could help.

"Get away from her Fed." Paul snapped up defensively. He had never talked to Liette as much as Jacob and he definitely wasn't about to trust her. He knew that she and Joe had some sort of connection but there was no way Paul was about to trust a federal agent.

"Paul. Don't ever speak to her like that." Joe's voice was anything but calm. He was not shouting but his words came out hard and cold. It was quite clear that if Paul ever used that tone with Liette again Joe would have no problem killing him. No one was allowed to speak to Liette like that. He would protect her over each and every one of his friends.

"Yes sir, I'm sorry." Paul snapped back. He knew Joe was stronger than him and he couldn't picture the others taking down their leader. Still, Paul didn't like the idea of having to tip toe around Liette now that they were around. He had hated being nice to Joey so he didn't think having someone else to pretend to like would be much fun either.

"Apologize to Liette." Joe growled.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Liette excused, not wanting to get on Paul's bad side just yet. She mentally noted that he was that same curly haired kid who had come in to get Will from the coffee shop all the time. They had been in front of her the whole time. It was frustrating to realize that now but she needed to focus on the current situation. She took Paul's spot crouching beside Emma, lifted the cloth and then assessed the damage. She ripped at Emma's shirt a little with her hands and then checked the wound. It wasn't as bad as it could have been but they did need to get her stitched up. "It's a through and through. You're lucky. I need a cloth to clean this up and then some needle and thread."

"Needle and thread?" Emma flinched, not liking this already.

Liette nodded. They needed to stitch up the wound to completely stop the bleeding. Liette knew this wasn't going to be pretty. She hadn't done anything like this since putting back together the dead rat in biology in grade twelve. That was a long time ago but perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. If she helped Emma survive she'd look good in front of the three of them and Joe. "It's going to hurt."

"I thought you were a doctor." Paul said, remembering that Liette had been going to Harvard for her PhD.

"I'm not that kind of doctor." she shook her head. "Joe, can you talk to her? Keep her distracted." Liette asked, hoping that Joe would be able to draw the girl's attention better than the rest. It would get messy if Emma flinched around too much.

"What happened Emma?" Joe asked.

"We were looking for Joey but then somehow Hardy found us." Emma said in one short breath. She hesitated with what she had to tell him next. The pain from the wound would not be quite as bad as Joe's disappointment in her would be. Still, she had to tell him the truth.

"Joe... they got Joey."


	28. Chapter 28 - Lash Out

_[Want to say a quick thank you to all of you who have stuck with this story / have jumped on now. Thank you for all your reviews. I appreciate each and every one of them. You've all made me more confident in my writing. I haven't written this much in a long time so thank you. Hope you enjoy the next chapter! Lemme know what you think. Also if you have tumblr and wish to follow me I'm itsdoctorreid (personal blog) or fythefollowing.]_

The fact that the three psychopaths had gotten away was lost on Claire Matthews. She didn't care because she finally had her son back in her arms. Joey had gotten away and they had found him before the others had. Claire knew they weren't safe with Joe and the cult out and about but at least she knew Joey wouldn't have to face his father. She'd keep a closer eye on him this time and no one would be allowed to be alone with him unless she knew for sure that she could trust them. So right now the only people Joey could spend time alone with were Claire herself and Ryan Hardy.

Ryan was pissed that the others had gotten away and he was pissed that Joe had Liette but he was thankful that he had finally done something right by Claire. Getting Joey back to her hadn't been easy. One of the investigators had found a map stashed away in a book at Lane's End that had zip code marked on it. This was exactly why CSI was paid to be thorough. They had found that address without the trio knowing anything about it. They had come to Elizabeth City only to receive a call about Joey being at a convenient store just a bit a ways from where they had been keeping him. The trio had found Joey first but Ryan and Weston had made it just in time. Ryan was shocked that Mike didn't shoot to kill but the kid being so close to Emma had made him choose the shoulder shot just in case.

That was when chaos had irrupted. The trio fired back but Joey Matthews managed to take off right towards Ryan. They had clearly seen they had no chance to get the kid back so they made a run for it instead. Had it not just been him and Weston they might had caught them but back-up had been too slow once again. He was getting sick of this poor police work. Why were they always once step behind? How had Joe managed to escape prison not once but twice? It didn't make sense. Things were just too convenient for him.

Joey had no real information for them about where to find the trio. He had just run as fast and as hard as he could to get away into public. He was a smart kid but not knowing where he had come from didn't help Ryan. It had been over an hour since they had found Joey. The trio could be long gone by now. Still, Ryan couldn't blame the kid for focusing on getting away. It was clear from the bruising on his arms that they hadn't been gentle when moving him here. He had paid for calling his mother. Ryan would ensure that that kid wasn't back within the grips of danger again. He would protect Claire and her son if it was the last thing he did. Ryan knew Joe wasn't going to be happy when he found out he wasn't going to get to see Joey.

Actually he knew Joe would be outraged.

"How could you just let them take him!"

Joe had been shouting at Paul, Emma and Jacob for the past ten minutes. It was not helping Liette or Emma remain calm as they tried to fix up Emma's wound. It was a bit of a mess but Liette was confident that it would heal without getting infected. "Will...Jacob..whatever the hell your name is, get me a wooden spoon." Liette asked. Jacob didn't fight her. He was happy to be useful as opposed to standing there like a kicked puppy while Joe shouted. "I want you to bite down on this hard. I'm going to finish up quickly." Liette said putting the spoon in Emma's mouth.

The pain was enraging to Emma but she was thankful that she wasn't going to bleed out. They had already lost Jordy and Rick. She had no plans on dying anytime soon. She took the spoon in her mouth and bit down hard. She tried to focus on that and not the pain but right now she was more hurt by Joe's words. Pathetic. Useless. Moronic. He kept shouting at them and everything hurt more and more. Didn't he love them? Didn't he care for them?

"We'll get him back Joe, we promise." Jacob said, trying to calm the man down.

"How the hell do you plan on doing that? Our faces are everywhere! There is no way we're going to get anywhere near Claire and Joey with the amount of protection they'll have on them now!" Joe made a good point. That house would be swarming with agents and with Robert Finn out of the picture they had run out of men on the inside. "I can't believe you're were all so stupid."

"I'm sorry...Joe I'm so sorry." the spoon came out of Emma's mouth so she could speak these words. She was crying now both in pain and agony from Joe's scolding. Joe looked down at her and saw the tears. He weakened slightly. He remembered that he could not abuse them; they had to keep loving him. Suddenly his demeanor shifted and he was able to calm himself down.

"Oh Emma." he said crouching low so he could wipe his tears. Emma was always such a good girl. It actually pained him that she had been the one to get hurt and not the others. Jacob and Paul were more disposable. He liked them but he definitely liked Emma more. She was more compliant and yet still deadly. "You'll make it up to me...I know you will."

"I'll do anything."

Liette knew that the girl meant that. She would do absolutely anything for Joe. It was now terrifying to watch the power Joe had over his followers. Finn had not been a good first example because Finn had been the exception not the rule. Now Liette saw all the classic signs of the occult being formed right there. She saw Joe's brain control, his promises of grandeur and love and she saw the desperation in Emma's eyes. She needed Joe's approval. The girl had come to learn that it was the only thing that truly mattered. It made Liette sad to see a young woman bend like that. Still, she couldn't let Joe see this sadness; she needed to keep blending in.

"We shouldn't stay here. They could find this house." Paul spoke up now that the yelling was done. He realized now that he liked being yelled at by Joe even less than he liked being snapped at by Emma. He knew the chain of command was about to change with Joe here but Paul wasn't so sure he liked that. He had finally started warming up to Emma. When it had been revealed that Jacob had never killed anyone before the three of them had made up in a way that was unusual but Paul saw nothing wrong with it. He still wasn't all that attracted to women but the threesome with Jacob and Emma had been fulfilling. They both loved Jacob. Why couldn't they both have him? Love broke societies rules all the time. He just hoped Joe wouldn't intervene in what they had going on.

"They'll have put roadblocks up trying to catch you leaving. We should stay put." Liette spoke as she finished the last stitch in Emma's shoulder. "Can someone grab me some alcohol?" Liette asked. Joe stood and reached for a bottle of vodka that was on the counter. Liette took the bottle and mouthed an apology to Emma before pouring some of it on the wound.

The screams that came out of Emma's mouth were hardly human and her pain masked itself in anger; lashing out at Liette and taking her to the ground. Suddenly Emma was overtop of Liette with her fist curled; ready to strike. This was why Liette had always hated hand to hand; she always got surprised by her attacker. But Emma wasn't on top of Liette long. Joe's hands were on her waist; throwing her off of Liette and up against the wall. More pain. Emma cried out again but this time the deathly glare from Joe's eyes had her sinking back into the corner.

"What are you doing!? She's already hurt!" Paul was the one to lash out. Jacob was too timid to challenge Joe but Paul didn't like how this was working. Paul had respected Joe more when he was behind bars just spreading a message. Physically Joe was domineering and abusive. Paul wasn't so sure about all of this anymore.

"Paul stop! He didn't mean to." Emma defended. She didn't want to cause a rift between them and Joe. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...please forgive me."

Joe wasn't sure that he could. They all knew the rule; no one touched Liette. He was just about ready to exact a real punishment on Emma when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Joe, it's alright. I'm fine." Liette's voice was soft. She really didn't want to watch him kill this girl, especially after the trouble she had went through to fix her up. "Come on, lets just let them be for a bit." Liette suggested. Joe's anger about Joey and now about Emma's actions weren't good combined and therefore he needed to cool down. Liette knew she was probably the only one who could get him calm so she had to be the one to take him out of this situation. "Please?"

Joe looked into Liette's eyes and he softened slightly. He didn't dare look back at Paul, Jacob or Emma but instead followed Liette out of the kitchen. They headed upstairs, allowing the trio to catch their breath and sort things out.

"He's out of control." Paul said in a low growl.

"Don't talk about Joe like that." Emma was the first one to defend the man despite the pain she was in. She'd follow Joe to her death if she had to. He had promised her that it would be beautiful just like the death of the girl in his book. Emma was in no rush to die but she wouldn't mind dying like that. She wanted her death to be beautiful and Joe had ensured her that it would be. "He's upset about Joey, we screwed up."

"It's not our fault the kid ran right to the Feds." Paul defended "And it doesn't help that he brought a Fed right into the house."

There was a bit of silence between the three of them. No one really knew what to say. Jacob knew Liette the best but that had all been from before she had joined the FBI. Joe had told them not to touch her but that didn't mean they could trust her. Whether or not she was one of them still remained to be seen. She had quickly helped Emma but that didn't mean she wasn't still helping the FBI behind their backs. Everyone knew pointing out that detail to Joe would just get them a one way ticket to being on the list of his victims. For now Liette's presence couldn't be questioned. They just had to follow Joe and hope for the best. That could turn out to be difficult because for the first time it seemed like his plans weren't so flawless anymore.


	29. Chapter 29 - Elizabeth

A fear shook in Liette as she sat with Joe upstairs. He was still angry and his anger was present in his breath. She could feel it radiating from him beside her and it frightened her. If he took his rage out on her she'd be dead and no one would be the wiser. He'd probably burry her in the backyard and perhaps she'd never be found. She would be assumed dead if they ever caught him but no one would really get closure. They'd just know Joe Carroll the serial killer had finally killed the girl who had inspired him to kill.

But Liette had to remember her Joe.

Her Joe wasn't a serial killer; he was a man who used to be one of the more inspiring professors that she had ever had. He was the man who had willingly become her best friend and had treated her with the utmost respect. He was the closest thing to being in love she had ever felt. He was her Joe. Her Joe wouldn't do that and therefore she had to treat him like he wasn't a killer in order to stay alive.

"It's going to be okay," Liette's voice was soft. She shook slightly as she reached out to touch his back. She didn't want him snapping around like he did on Emma. She needed to calm him down so his rage wouldn't get the better of him. She didn't need him killing anyone. Liette was going to do everything in her power to save every life that Joe crossed. She couldn't outright ask him to stop killing but she could try and guide him off that track with her actions.

That meant she was going to have to throw herself under the bus sometimes.

"I can't believe they screwed up." his voice was low and dark. Hatred coursed through every word. They were supposed to get things right. Little blips in the story were one thing. Ryan was extraordinary which meant he was bound to make them screw up sometimes but losing Joey was a whole other ballgame. He had just wanted to see his son again. The boy was twelve now and that meant he had gone through a lot of brainwashing already. Joe wanted to prove to him that he could be a good father and that he wasn't a bad man. Now he wasn't even going to get to see him.

"Lets talk about something else. You just need to calm down." Liette suggested, her hand rubbing his back slowly and carefully. She watched him relax slightly but he still seemed very tense. "Why did you pick Elizabeth City?"

"Elizabeth is your mother's name."

_"He's right over there." Liette didn't know why she was so nervous. Her mother had come up for the weekend and instead of canceling her Sunday meeting with Joe he had suggested bringing her along. At first Liette had thought nothing about it but now her stomach was in knots just waiting for this meeting to occur._

_ "Liette" Joe's smile was broad as he caught the brown eyes of his favorite student and muse. He then turned his attention to the woman who was closer to his age and gave her a small smile. "and this must be your mother." Joe extended his hand pleasantly to shake with Ms. Arnaut. _

_ "Elizabeth. Liz is fine." Liette's mother introduced after a firm handshake. She was not a delicate woman. She had a round face but a hard attitude. It was clear from her strong posture and demanding attitude that she had grown up independently. Liette never spoke about her father so Joe had assumed he was absent. Clearly Elizabeth Arnaut had had much to go through in her lifetime and she had still managed to raise quite the magnificent child."You're the infamous Joe Carroll. I do hope my daughter is getting good grades in your class considering the amount of time she spends with you." Elizabeth smirked at him as she took a seat. _

_ "Mother!" Liette's cheeks went bright red with embarrassment. She could feel her body heating up from the feeling. This was what she had been worried about. She didn't want to made into some fool by her mother's doting words. Her mom always meant well and she loved her but sometimes some people didn't understand her sense of humor. _

_ "I'm kidding!" Elizabeth defended immediately. She knew how touchy her daughter could be at times. You had to remind Liette to take in a joke every now and then. "It's nice to finally put a name to a face Dr. Carroll."_

_ "Joe is fine." Joe smiled widely. _

_ To Liette's relief the conversation carried on quite easily. Joe read Poe for them as they sipped their teas. He talked about Liette's work ethic and her impressive grades. She was flattered and embarrassed at the same time. Naturally Elizabeth already knew how intelligent her daughter was. She was just a working class woman with a high school education. Liette had been lost on her many times already. She learnt from her daughter but like most people Elizabeth couldn't always piece things together like Liette did. The girl had a unique mind; Joe Carroll was hardly the first teacher to notice that in her. _

_ "I'm going to get a second cup, can I get either of you anything?" Joe asked as he stood from his seat. He straightened his suit jacket and then looked down at the women he was sitting with. Liette's mother was pretty for her age but Joe was blinded by her daughter. Liette looked so simple and yet so beautiful at once. The beige sundress she was wearing seemed to bring a brightness to the room despite it's neutral tone. His life seemed to light up around this girl. It was tragic to him that he couldn't have her for his own. Yet he put himself through the cruelty of sitting with her every week. _

_ "I'm fine thank you." Elizabeth nodded._

_ "Lemon square?" Joe asked Liette with a grin._

_ "You know I can't say no to that." she scorned him for playing to her weakness. It had been weeks ago that he had deduced her favorite sweet from this coffee shop. Now he bought her one almost every Sunday._

_ "Precisely why I asked."_

_ As Joe walked away Liette's eyes followed him and she had to resist letting out a sigh. Her mother watched her intently. She knew exactly what was going on despite the fact that she had never seen Liette act this way. _

_ "Liette honey, please don't tell me..."_

_ "Tell you what?" Liette cut her off quite quickly._

_ "Do you have a crush on Professor Carroll?"_

_ Liette's eyes widened and she had to stop herself from blushing."Are you insane? He's my professor, that's completely illogical." How could her mother ask her something like that? Liette denied any feelings she had for Joe feverishly in her own head but to talk about it out loud was a new realm for her. _

_ "Not everything can be solved by reason." _

_ "I don't mom, I promise. He's just Joe."_

_ His ears were just in range to hear their conversation. He felt his heart drop and then shatter on the floor. That really was all he was to her. Just Joe. How boring, how mundane. Why couldn't she see him as more? They could never be what he wanted them to be and that hurt him. His broken heart burned and suddenly his emotion turned to rage; a rage that wasn't appropriate for a public setting. He turned slightly to take a breath before noticing a young girl at the end of the cafe. She was in one of his second year courses. And look at that she had blonde hair...and blue eyes. _

_ "I'm sorry to do this but I should get going." Joe said as he came back to the table. Liette's face showed a frown. This was by far the shortest coffee break they had ever had. She hoped that her mother hadn't said something to upset Joe. "Papers to mark." he explained._

_ "See you in class?"_

_ "Of course." he walked out without another word. Liette felt that something was off but decided not to say anything about it. The next morning Marissa Hutcherson was found, stabbed and her eyes removed just like the others. And Joe was in a better mood again. _

Joe's head hit the mattress as he leaned back after savoring the memory. It took a moment but Liette leaned down and joined him, her body turning towards his to watch his movement. He shifted as well so his body tilted towards hers and they got as close as they possibly could without touching. He scanned every inch of her with his eyes and she felt him do so. Her eyes lingered on his lips before connecting with him. He smiled and then whispered four soft lines.

_ "Elizabeth, it surely is most fit _

_ Logic and common usage so commanding_

_ In thy own book the first thy name be writ,_

_ Zeno and other sages notwithstanding"_


	30. Chapter 30 - Screencap

Mike needed some sleep but he hd refused to go for any. He had already lost Troy; he wasn't about to lose Liette. He had set up shop at the Elizabeth City police department and was now using every accessible street camera and security camera to try and get a glimpse of the trio, Joe or Liette. His fingers had never typed so fast before. He shifted from camera to camera as quickly as possible without missing what was on the video. His eyes were burning from looking at screens for so long but he pushed on.

Debra had been in contact with every police department and state police in the area. She was trying her best to make sure that Joe and his followers didn't get out of the state. She knew it was damn near impossible to make sure that didn't happen. There were too many backroads leading out of Carolina. They'd be on a cross country manhunt soon enough. Luckily they all knew Joe wasn't about to run off and never be heard from again; he had a book to finish with Hardy. Everyone knew that Joe didn't leave things incomplete which meant they would have plenty more chances to catch him.

Debra moved behind Weston to watch the cameras with him. Sensing her presence Mike spoke up, hoping to explain what he had come up with so far. It wasn't much but it was all he could give her right now. "They head into this residential area and then I lose them."

"They ditched the vehicle, we found it about an hour ago." Debra informed him.

"I'm sure they have another vehicle ready." Ryan said gruffly. He had come to realize that Joe's little cult was far more resourceful than any of them had imagined. They had multiple safe houses, vehicles, and an abundance of money.

"Where did they get all the money for this?" Mike asked. It sometimes felt as if this group has more resources than the FBI.

"Jacob's family was wealthy, his parents died five years ago in a car accident." Debra noted, remembering reading that bit about Jacob Wells in his file. "Probably what made him vulnerable enough to go to Joe in the first place." there was always something there to make young people susceptible to cults. Every parent prayed their kid wouldn't end up a junkie but ending up in a cult could often be worse. Look at what Joe had done to these people. He had trained them to be killers. "What about Joe and Liette?" she asked Mike, wondering where her other agent was.

"Not a sign of them anywhere but looking for a black sedan is like-"

"Looking for a needle in a haystack." Debra finished for him with a sigh. She couldn't believe a serial killer had actually managed to get away with one of her agents. In her gut she knew that Liette was still alive but parts of her worried that Joe had finally worked up the stomach to kill her. Finding Liette dead somewhere with her eyes gauged out was the last thing Parker wanted. "Keep looking."

Mike took the command to heart. There was no time to go find somewhere to nap. He grabbed another cup of coffee and pushed through his exhaustion. He could sleep when this was all over. This job had made him resilient and he could function off very little sleep. He'd probably get sick by the time the case was over but then he could take some time off and play catch up on his rest. For now they needed his attention on the computer screens.

Mike hacked in to any security camera he could locate near the subdivision. He managed to find the moment when the SUV was ditched but after there there were no more cameras to follow the trio on foot. They knew the ZIP code they had received was for that area but it had led them to the wrong house. Clearly they had used it as a security measure to know the location but not give it away completely. Mike needed to figure out where they had headed once they ditched the vehicle. It couldn't have been far. Emma had still been bleeding from the through and through. They needed to get her patched up or she would die. Of course this was a group of people who killed as an art form; Emma's death probably wouldn't be mourned too much.

He continued to shift around to street cameras but he had completely lost the trio. He was close to giving up hope when he spotted them. A black sedan with a blonde driving and an older man in the passengers seat. Wait...what? This whole time Mike had been looking for the blonde in the back or in the passengers seat but he had never thought to look for her driving. He isolated the image and zoomed in. A quick quality enhancement made Mike's stomach flip.

There was no doubt; it was Liette.

"Parker, Hardy, you're going to want to see this!" he called from his spot at the desk. The others returned to him instantly, their eyes taking in the image. Mike didn't even have to say anything about it before Hardy spoke up.

"She's driving."

"Maybe he's making her." Debra excused immediately. She could feel the air of tension in the room as they looked at the security image of Joe and Liette. She knew exactly what Ryan was thinking just by his comment. Liette driving suggested that she was a willing participant in all of this. It was rare to see the abducted at the wheel of the car because it gave them too much power. Joe Carroll really wasn't the type of man to hand power over to someone if he could keep it for himself. It made you wonder why Liette was behind the wheel.

"But she doesn't seem to be disgruntled or uncomfortable." Mike frowned. He felt as if his whole world had just slowed down. Why was Liette cooperating? He knew she wasn't very good at hand to hand but she could have tried to fight Carroll. She should have been fighting for her life. Rewinding the clip Mike watched more closely and zoomed in on Liette's face. To his horror her lips moved and then curved into a small smile. "She's talking to him."

"Maybe she's playing along so she doesn't get killed." Debra excused but as they watched the video there was one more thing they noticed. Liette shifted slightly, dropping one hand off the wheel. Her free hand moved over to her right and took Joe's. An unsettling air shifted through the three of them as they watched Liette mindlessly hold Joe Carroll's hand. No one wanted to believe it but in bitterness Mike spoke up.

"Or maybe she was one of them all along."


	31. Chapter 31 - Hank

Joe had made the decision that they would spend one night in Elizabeth Town before splitting up and heading across the border. The police presence should have moved on by then because the trail had gone cold. Emma had been devastated when she had heard the words splitting up. She had thought she was finally going to get to spend some real time with Joe but he had decided otherwise.

That night Liette and Joe took the master bedroom while Jacob and Emma shared the guest room and Paul was shafted to the room that had been meant for Joey. Liette slept easily knowing that Joe was beside her and therefore he wasn't out doing harm. She slept beside him without touching him but she was well aware of any shifts he made in the bed. At points she felt him watching her but she tried not to disturb him by looking back. She was really only half asleep. Her gun was once again on the bedside table but she knew it would be no good. If Joe were to attack her and she shot the weapon she'd be quickly killed by the others down the hall. She was outnumbered and out armed now.

In the morning they said their goodbyes. Liette watched how hesitant Emma was to leave. She was clearly worrying that she would never see Joe again. No one offered a farewell to Liette; not even Jacob. They were all bitter that this parting meant she got to stay with Joe. Of all of them Paul was the first one in their new vehicle. Clearly he wanted to get away before Joe went off the handle again or Emma broke down.

"I will see you soon, love, I promise." Joe said sweetly to Emma, kissing her forehead as if she were his most beloved daughter. She held back her tears in order to look strong in front of Joe. Then slowly she climbed into the back seat of the truck that had been waiting for them in the garage. "You know where to go Paul. Continue on with the plan."

Joe had not shared any details of the plan with Liette and she knew asking was of no use. She got into the silver SUV that was remaining in the garage and waited for Joe. This time he would be driving. He had yet to tell her where they were heading. Once behind the wheel he began to drive carefully and quietly. His head turned only for a moment to give her a reassuring smile. Liette gave one back, hoping that it would make things less awkward.

In an hour or so they were back in Virginia. Joe had taken backroads the whole way and they had been disturbed by no one. There had been a police cruiser in front of them at one point but he had pulled a u-turn and ended up heading off in the opposite direction. Now they were back in another city where Liette felt like Joe was being a little too risky by showing his face. This time around they didn't head into the suburbs but instead took a few turns down some streets that Liette didn't like the look of. Had it been night time she might have felt completely unsafe. Joe drove up to a run down five story walk up and parked the car on the road. He got out first and then rounded the car to open Liette's door for her. Liette stepped out lightly, taking in her surroundings. She knew she hadn't been here before. She could only wonder what they were doing here now.

Joe opened the metal black gate to the walkup and marched up the stairs. His eyes scanned the intercom system and found the number he was looking for. 203. He hit the buzzer three times instead of speaking. The door suddenly buzzed open. Joe's hand reached out to take Liette's and she allowed him to lead her in.

The building was far more run down on the inside than it had been on the outside. The smell suggested some sort of rodent problem. Liette couldn't imagine Joe picking this as his place of refuge. Prison had been bad but a dump like this was hardly better. The wallpaper was pealing off of the walls and water stains were visible on all the ceilings. This was the side of Virginia Beach that tourists didn't get to see. It was like any other building in a poor neighborhood; run down and forgotten about.

Two flights of stairs led them up to room 203. Joe opened the door without knocking and then closed it behind them. Liette suddenly felt tense. This was not the type of place she wanted to die in. Perhaps he had some poetic reason for bringing her here; like Sarah and the lighthouse. But Joe's book hadn't spoke of some creepy walk-up and she was fairly certain Poe's work hadn't mentioned a place like this either.

But then Liette saw the reason they were here.

Stepping out from another room a young man around the age of twenty seven appeared, wiping his hands of water with a dish cloth. He nodded at Joe with the smallest hint of a smile. His messy hair, stained shirt and ripped jeans suggested that he hadn't exactly been expecting company but Joe didn't seem to be bothered by the man's appearance.

"Liette this is Hank."

"Pleasure." her words were friendly but in her head Liette was just wondering how many more were there. Some Cult leaders had hundreds of followers but it seemed unreasonable that Joe would be able to rope that many in after being in prison the whole time. He had had many visitors but Liette had chalked most of them up as groupies who were turned on by blood and gore a little too much. She had never understood that. All serial killers had them; women and men who threw themselves at them and worshiped them through love. It was sickening.

"You're out much sooner than I had thought." Hank spoke as he crossed the room to shake hands with Joe. This was the first physical contact he had ever had with his leader and it meant a lot to him. "Things aren't quite as ready as I had hoped they would be." Liette figured that was an understatement. This place was tiny. There was an air mattress in the corner so Liette figured there was no actual bedroom in this apartment or at least it wasn't being used for sleeping in. This wasn't the type of place Joe would arrange for a hideout. Perhaps this was just a rendezvous point.

"That's quite alright Hank." Joe said softly. "I'm sure the other house is fine."

Liette's breath steadied slightly. It didn't appear as if these two men were going to kill her here. There was another house; hopefully one that was in better shape than this place. Hopefully somewhere comfortable again. This goose chase to rally up Joe's followers had them all over the place. Liette wasn't completely comfortable being part of it but it had been the choice she had had to make. Her mind was already working on a plan to get some things done. That was when Hank spoke up and gave her the perfect opportunity.

"We'll need to pick up food."

The three of them took the SUV to a grocery store just a twenty minute drive from the apartment. Hank had locked up and thrown his bag in the trunk of the vehicle. It didn't appear that they'd be returning to the sketchy walk-up anytime soon. Liette sat in the back while Hank drove and Joe sat in the passengers seat. They parked the car on the street two blocks away from the store. Joe couldn't be spotted.

"May I go in with him. I need a few things." Liette asked from the back. Joe was immediately shaking his head. He was not about to lose Liette now that he had her. Anything she needed could be added to the list of things that Hank would buy.

"If you're recognized..."

"Would you know it was me?" she asked as she leaned forward to let him see her. She had tucked her hair up into a scarf and was wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses that she had taken from the house in Elizabeth City. A smile crossed Joe's lips as he looked at her. Her striking features were suddenly hidden.

"Your brilliance never ceases to amaze me."

That was all the permission Liette needed to walk to the store with Hank. He didn't say a word to her. He just led them down the street and into the store. She began to walk around and could feel him following her. It was uncomfortable. He walked three steps behind but never seemed to lose sight of her.

"I'm just going to run to the bathroom." she said, turning to him.

"I'm sure it can wait." he didn't trust her. That much was clear. Maybe he thought she was going to run from Joe. Joe hadn't exactly explained what had happened to Hank. He had probably heard the news of Joe kidnapping Liette. That would definitely make the man think she would be a runner.

"No...actually it can't." Liette said holding up a package of tampons that she had bought. She rounded the aisle and headed right into the bathroom. Hank did not follow her. Grossing a man out was an easy way to lose the tail. Liette was pleased to see that the middle aged woman she had watched walk in her hadn't left the bathroom yet. She quickly took out her badge and flashed it to the lady. It was long enough for the woman to see the metal FBI badge but not long enough to allow her to read who Liette was. "FBI. I need to use your cellphone."

"Yes...yes alright." the woman stuttered in shock, handing her phone over instantly.

"Thank you."

Ever since the influx of school shootings police departments had been forced to accept text messages as a means of calling 911. Since students had not been able to talk on the phone they had texted their pleas for help. This made contacting the authorities easier without having to speak to them. Liette sent one text message before handing the phone back to the woman in the bathroom.

"Detective, I think we need to call the FBI."

"_189 19th Street, Virginia Beach. Tanned man, black hair, brown eyes. He's one of Joe Carroll's. His name is Hank. Come now. - The Fox"_


	32. Chapter 32 - Foxtrot

_[ Sorry for my absence, I just finished midterms and writing muse has been short lately. I'm now quite ill and bed-ridden so it may be some time before updates come frequently again. Thank you for sticking with me, please tell me what you think via reviews. I love to hear from anyone!]_

Carroll's little blonde was taking much longer in the ladies room than Hank would have liked. This was meant to be a quick shopping trip. They were supposed to get supplies and then get off of the grid for a while. He was not enchanted in believing that a few days hiding out would rid them of the threat of the FBI but it would make the trail go cold which meant they could get some real work done in the shadows. He had planned out this part for Joe. It was supposed to be a chapter on recovery and planning. From here on in the plot would change. All of this was happening earlier than it had been planned out but they could easily adjust. Hank would do anything for Joe Carroll.

But going to jail wasn't something he fancied.

He hadn't paid much attention to the sirens outside because he figured they were just racing down the street to go somewhere else. Police presence had never bothered him. He almost always appeared calm, cool and collected.

Impatiently he barged into the bathroom to try and get Liette so they could leave. "Girl, lets go." he barked but his voice echoed in a room that was empty. He slammed open each one of the stalls only to realize that she was gone. Each bang of the stall doors made him angrier and angrier. Dammit. He should have never let her get out of his sight. Joe would kill him if he didn't get her back.

He burst out of the bathroom, ready to go find her but instead he was faced with seven different police officers. All of them had their guns trained on him. Fucking local cops. He had left his gun in the car. They were just supposed to be shopping. "Hank, you're under arrest." he swallowed hard. They knew his name. How the fuck did they know his name?

"For what?" he grimaced as two officers approached him. He willingly fell to his knees and was handcuffed. He did not struggle. Suicide by cop was not worth it if you didn't have a weapon to fight back with.

"Aiding and abetting Joe Carroll."

Mike had the feeling he would go blind young. Staring at screens for too long had to have some negative effect on your eyesight. He had been looking at street camera feeds for almost twelve hours now. He had lost the trio completely but by luck he had found Joe and Liette for a short time. He lost them again when they went into the slummy part of Virginia Beach but as he sifted through the surrounding cameras he saw them again. The feed was old but Mike was able to pick out Joe, Liette and a new member of the group. They'd have to add another picture to the board of followers that they had set up.

This would be Hank. They had received the call from the Virginia Beach police department just twenty minutes ago about the text message. Parker had told the local officers to move immediately. They couldn't risk waiting around again. Hopefully the local cops could do their jobs and they'd be able to question him after.

As Mike found the feed of them he watched as Hank and Liette headed out of the car. It made him uneasy to see how she walked beside a member of a cult and didn't seem to blink an eye. While he watched their movements Mike dialed Parker's number. Parker and Hardy had headed off to Virginia in hopes to talk to Hank once he was in custody. "I found them." Mike announced as Debra put him on speakerphone in her car. "There is a video of the three of them. Joe stays in the car, I've moved to real time though and he and Liette have taken off."

"That's okay, we have the evidence to nail Hank at least." Parker nodded. She had been a little bit worried about the whole legal issues of the text message. Someone was telling them Hank was a follower but at first they had no evidence. Hank driving around Carroll and Liette was definitely enough to keep him locked up.

"It is also enough to nail Liette." Ryan mentioned.

There had not been much talk about Liette's involvement with Carroll in the past eight hours mostly because it became apparent that the topic slowed Weston down in his work. It was touchy for all of them. It was almost so personal that their BAU team should have been taken off the case. They were too far into this now for that though so they all had to push through it.

"But aren't we assuming Liette is the fox?" Mike asked, wide-eyed.

"We don't assume anything. Whether or not Liette is truly working with Carroll is still up in the air." Debra clarified firmly. "Keep at it." she said to Mike before hanging up. Just because they had a little snitch of their own didn't mean they could just stop working. They needed to find the trio again and make sure that they didn't get anywhere close to Joey Matthews this time.

"Right." Mike nodded. In his heart he already believed Liette was the fox. She was playing Carroll for a lovesick fool. That was the only scenario that Mike really liked because it involved Liette still being one of the good guys. It had become clear from the traffic cameras that Liette was no hostage. She was far too close to Joe to have been truly kidnapped. That limited their options of what it was all really about. This whole fox chase was really the only option that made sense to Mike. Liette had gone with Carroll to track down his followers. She was leaving breadcrumb after breadcrumb to lead them to each of Joe's followers. It was a brilliant plan. It would have worked better had she let them know about it but Mike knew Parker would have never let anyone go through with this. It risked too many lives. With Carroll out of prison everybody knew it was only a matter of time until he killed again.


	33. Chapter 33 - Fumble

Joe's outrage was not something Liette had been prepared for. She had gotten into the driver's seat and pulled them away from the side street the car had been parked on. He immediately bombarded her with dozens of questions. _Where was the food? What happened? Where was Hank? Why were they leaving? How did this happen?_ Liette gave shakey replies as she felt Joe's anger build and build. She drove them far out of the city, not sure where she was headed quite yet. She hoped that the officers had managed to take down Hank but she couldn't focus on that thought too much. She had a murderous lunatic raving beside her. She needed to calm Joe down again. The most things deviated from his plan the more angry he seemed to get.

"Where do you want me to go?"

"I don't know! This was not part of the plan. This is not how it is supposed to be." his words were not delicate, his voice was not soft. He started Liette with every spurt of shouting he went through. She wished she could just disappear so she wouldn't have to be the punching bag he was lashing out at right now.

"I know, but we need to go somewhere." they needed somewhere to stay so they would be safe. All of this only worked if they stayed on the run. If they were caught they'd both be thrown in jail. There was nothing that Liette could do from there. She knew eventually she'd probably have to spend some time behind bars or she'd always be on the run. There wouldn't be a lot of options for her but she had considered that when she had taken off with Joe. The ending would never bring her back to the FBI but it was a risk she had to take. There were more important things in this world than her gun and her badge. If she could continue to rope up some of the followers she would have at least made a difference that way.

"There isn't anywhere to go!"

"Where were we headed with Hank before?" Liette asked, trying to bring the conversation to a certain level. She tried to focus Joe; to give him a task so he would cool down and focus instead of getting angrier.

"Only he knew the location." this shocked Liette. She had assumed that Joe knew every bit and piece of the plans but that wasn't so. Clearly he had had some of the followers do some work on their own because he had been tied up in prison. The others had more freedom to plan and arrange things. They were almost like his travel agents, making sure he'd be able to get around comfortably once he was out of prison.

"What about where the others went?"

"It's too far." he rejected right away. No answer was good enough. It all deviated from the plan. They still didn't have Joey and Joe felt farther and farther away from fulfilling his fantasy as every moment passed by. The telephone poles they drove past felt like the seconds hand of a clock, ticking away every fuck up that had come to pass. "This is a fucking disaster. You said no one would recognize you!" he snapped at her.

Liette jumped, as any normal human being would when he directed his shouting at her. She hit the blinker on the car and signaled to pull over to the right. She needed to bring Joe back down to earth and more than that she had to convince him that this wasn't her fault.

"What are you doing?" he snapped slightly as she put the car in park.

"I can't drive with you like this." she shook her head, not looking at him. She was too afraid to make eye contact with him at this point. She felt so small and insignificant. It was as if he had turned her into a little mouse. She was defenseless against his anger. "You're scaring me." she admitted. It was not some tactic to make him calm down or to feel sympathy, it was the truth. The only problem was that the truth set him off more than anything before.

"This? This is nothing compared to what I could do to you."

Silence. Suddenly a complete transformation took place before Liette's eyes. She looked up to see him staring at her with pure hatred. The Joe she knew was not present in the brown eyes of the man before her. His words were cold and uncaring. His lips provided a cruel message; a threat. He had never acted this way towards her before but clearly all the anger and all the disappointment had snapped something in him. Liette stared at him in horror. Her fear heightened as she realized in this moment she was no longer safe. With her Joe she had little to fear. She had relied on Joe's love to keep her alive and well but it was quite clear that his heart was not beating with love in this moment.

Liette's hand moved to her waist, instinctively ready to pull her gun but such a small space made movement difficult. Joe's hand was on her wrist before she could wrap her hand around her weapon. He felt on tightly to her, not allowing her to move. She struggled slightly, her hand reaching for the safety of her weapon but she couldn't quite reach. He stared at her without a word. A surge of power swept through him as he held onto her. He suddenly remembered how great this feeling could be. Young women were so poetically tragic because they rarely had the strength to fight a man off. They were naturally doomed in Joe's mind. Look at Liette, a uniform FBI agent with a gun and a badge and yet no stronger than those university girls he had killed in her place. Even though she had grown in her years she was no more of a challenge now than she had been back at his home or on that pond.

But it had never been about the physical challenge Liette presented him with; it was all about the emotional. "Don't do this." she spoke as she tried to shake her wrist from his grasp. "You're hurting me." her words did nothing to his cold demeanor. If anything his grip tightened. Liette cried out slightly in pain. If he twisted hard enough he'd surely break her wrist. "Joe please,"

Her tongue flipping out his name seemed to hit him. The emotional power Liette had always had over Joe washed over him as he heard her utter his name. His name was so soft and so sweet on her cracked lips. It was delicate and perfect. His name sounded poetic. That soothed Joe's heart and allowed him to romanticize the moment. He drifted in the feeling before his mind processed what he had just done.

"I'm sorry." he blurted out too urgently as he let go of her wrist. Liette went to pull away but Joe moved far too quickly. "Oh love, I'm so sorry." he grabbed her wrist again but held it lightly, bringing it close to him as if he would protect her. Liette remained stiff but she let out a held in breath of relief as Joe seemed to switch back. "I don't know what came over me." the problem was that Liette did. Joe's nature came out of him. She was seemingly his weakness but it seemed that after all these years he had built up enough anger to find strength. She could not forget the important lesson she had taught Joe many years ago.

_"Many never work up to kill the person they really want to...they just keep on killing surrogates." Liette explained to Joe. It had ben almost an hour since she had come to speak with him about the exciting guest speaker from the BAU they had had in class. Joe seemed most interested and he allowed her to ramble despite the fact that he likely had papers to grade or something better to do._

_ "But some of them do find the strength?"_

_ "Some do but their lust for blood is often not satisfied. I guess some of them end up quite disappointed." she shrugged, thinking nothing of it. Joe bit his lip. Would that be how it was? What if one day he decided to kill Liette? Would it be enough? Would anything every be enough? Killing her still didn't seem like an option; he needed her too much. _

_ "You're quite ravishing when you talk about things that interest you." Joe complimented with a smile on his face. He took in the blush that appeared on Liette's cheek. Such a physical reaction gave Joe an odd butterfly sensation. He loved catching her off guard with his compliments. She never seemed to know how to take them but he loved watching her fumble around in the moment._

Liette knew this time she could not fumble.

"It's alright." she excused his outburst as if it was nothing but she knew that wasn't the case. Joe was a ticking time bomb. If he was finding the strength to overcome the fear of living without her she'd have to move quickly. Liette would also need to find a way to get Joe to need her. She'd have to play up her old self so moments like this didn't happen frequently. If he lost their connection then surely she'd lose. Even off of the team her main job here was to profile Joe. She needed to profile him to stay alive.

"Where can we go? Who can we trust?" Liette asked, looking for Joe to lead her. Maybe that was where she had to go with this. She had to think and act like one of his followers. She had to become one of them. She would not let it drive her to killing or to worshipping Joe but she could use it to her advantage. So far he did not seem to suspect any disloyalty from her and they needed to keep it that way. 

"Maggie. We'll go to Maggie."

_[Hope you all enjoyed it, and hope you weren't all too surprised by Joe showing off some of his true nature. Probably about time. Also I guess this was just a quick reminder that in this story Maggie got away after almost killing Ryan's sister. So it is time to explore a character we lost pretty quickly on the show. I'd love to hear what you think, hopefully the next chapter will be up sometime this week.]_


	34. Chapter 34 - Replaceable

While the FBI busied themselves with Joey Matthews and Joe himself Maggi had been able to make a clean getaway without the trace of a tail. She was completely in the wind. If the FBI had just looked a little closer at her they might have been able to predict where she had headed. Like Joe Maggie could be a romantic. She was practically a psychopath but she had had feelings for Rick. The abandoned chapel where they had been wed served as a perfect rabbit hole for her. She had married Rick six years ago, just months before she started visiting Joe in prison. She had convinced her husband to learn how to become a killer. He had acted under Joe but he had done it all for her.

Now he was dead.

Killing Emily Hardy might have made up for it a little bit. It might have been the perfect revenge on Ryan Hardy and yet Maggie had stuck with the plan. She had given Emily the chance to live. Rick had followed her but she still followed Joe. Still, it had been two weeks now and she had no news from Joe or any of the others. She was feeling forgotten and used. They had practically let her blow away in the wind like an unwanted piece of trash. This thought made Maggie's blood boil. She should have killed Emily Hardy when she had the chance. She should have stuck around and exacted her revenge on poor Ryan as well, despite the fact that it was quite clear that Joe wanted to be the one to kill him.

Waiting in that chapel for something to happen made Maggie restless. She checked the news constantly on the smart phone she had purchased. Joe's escape was mentioned everywhere but a new bit that had come up was about a follower being caught. Emma? Paul? Jacob? The names raced through her head as she began to worry about who it could be. They had already lost Jordy and Rick. Finn was no doubt on the run after the statement he gave to the police. Maggie still couldn't believe Joe had actually shot Finn so he could take Liette. That didn't make sense to her. Constantly Joe was putting this girl and his dear friend Ryan before the group. That ticked Maggie off, it made her question Joe's love. How much did he really care?

Then the name of the supposed captured follower came onto her screen and Maggie didn't know what to make of it. Hank? Who the hell was Hank? The report confirmed that this man had been with Carroll just hours ago. This meant there were others that they didn't know about. Joe had thrown the seven of them together. Emma, Paul, Jordy, Jacob, Finn, Rick and Maggie herself had made up one team. Joe had never mentioned that there was another team, Maggie had thought it had always just been them. This was a lot bigger than they all thought.

The old door of the chapel creaked open. Maggie's hand was on the blade she carried around with her in an instant. Someone had found her. So be it; they would not be all too happy that they had decided to trespass here. The young woman was boiling with newfound anger. Maggie had always been dangerous. Unlike the others she hadn't learnt to kill through Joe. She had experienced her first kill before she had sought out Joe. She was fascinated by him and his methods. Young females had been her targets too. Surrogates for the girls who bullied her in high school. Now Maggie didn't find herself needing her victims to fit a model. Emily Hardy had been a convenient female victim but Maggie was hardly above killing men. Agent Reilly's murder had been just as satisfying as any other, Maggie only wished she could have stayed to watch him take his last breath.

Light shone into the room as the church door opened fully. Maggie made out two figures. She hated being outnumbered but she did not worry too much. She was much tougher than she looked. Still, the look of innocence usually worked in her favor. People wanted to trust her. Look how she had walked all over the FBI just by playing the traumatized abused woman act. They had believed every word she said and offered her protection. They had never expected that she was the person they needed protection from.

Maggie stalked from the front of the church around the pews. She scurried like a mouse and made little to no noise. The strangers walked in, hand in hand. Maggie knew to go for the bigger one first because he would be the challenge. She expected the smaller one was a woman so Maggie intended to have her fun with her later. This pair could have been innocently wandering in looking directions or shelter. The reason didn't matter to Maggie. Once she had her prey she only had to prepare herself to pounce.

"Maggie? Are you here?" the stranger called out.

Maggie froze. She recognized the voice. "Joe?" she asked, wavering slightly behind a pillar on the left side of the chapel. Her knife remained firmly in her hand. She would not attack Joe but she did not trust her ears. Had he really come? Maybe he did care. Maggie's mind flourished with contradictions. Did she lash out in revenge for Rick or did she follow Joe endlessly as she had before. As she stepped out into the light so she could properly see Joe's face she realized the latter would have to do for now.

"Oh Maggie, I'm so glad you are safe. Come here sweetheart," Joe was soft but in comparison his companion seemed cold and hard. Meeting yet another one of Joe's psycho friends was a little much for Liette. She was just waiting for one of them to last out on her. Perhaps Joe would be able to keep them in line or maybe her fate would end in the hands of a deranged lunatic. This was the risk she had taken when she had run away with him. She knew this whole story probably ended in her death, she just prayed it would come swiftly if it had to.

Maggie stepped towards Joe slowly. Her blade fell down to her side as she felt him wrap his arms around her. He hugged her tightly but she stood quite still. Rick was technically dead because of him. He was dead because of the feud between Ryan and Joe. Ryan Hardy wouldn't stop until they were all locked up and dead in the ground. Maggie's mind struggled through the images of his dead husband, shot trying to protect her from Hardy. They had been so close to getting away together but Hardy had spoiled that. The rules were out the window when it came to Hardy and Joe. That made it impossible to trust anyone.

Liette's eyes cautiously watched the blade in Maggie's hand. She almost felt defensive over Joe's life. His back was vulnerable in this embrace but he didn't seem concerned at all. He trusted Maggie because he had conditioned her to love him. She might have loved Rick but Joe had made her a part of something bigger than her marriage ever was. There was dissonance within this whole situation for Maggie but in the end Joe believe he would win out.

"Who is Hank? I heard about him on the news...they said..." Maggie began to ask. So many questions were going through her head and she wanted some answers. Joe was here now so maybe he could make things clear. He had always had such a way with words. During her visits with him in prison Maggie had learnt quite a great deal about how powerful a speaker Joe was. She had become entranced with every syllable he spoke. He had understood her unlike anyone else. She had felt so proud when she told him of her own successes and he had been proud of her. Now she hoped he could illuminate her world once more.

"He was one of the others. There are many others." Joe informed Maggie of Liette's biggest fear. This cult was not limited to a handful of people. Every moment more and more seemed to pop up like cockroaches.

"How many?"

"I don't know actually." the words echoed in the chapel like a hymn but they didn't ring out in a saintly sound. Instead they twisted Liette's stomach and made her feel sick. There were many more but Joe didn't know how many. That meant he couldn't give them all up one by one like Liette had hoped. This hunt just became more advanced and complicated. "Hank was supposed to take me to meet them all."

"You don't know?" Maggie's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I started the painting...they turned it into a masterpiece." Joe said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Maggie's ear. She let her face fall. Her eyes lingered on the ground and then suddenly she began to tremble. Joe noticed the shift in her. He placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face. He studied her for a moment. The narrowed eyes and the hardened look on her face suggested that a storm cloud was brewing inside her. Storms were dangerous coming from a young woman like Maggie. Her temper was not something you wanted to mess with. "What is wrong Maggie?"

"He killed Rick Joe, but you don't care because there are plenty others just like him." her voice cold as stone as she stepped one pace back away from Joe. She distanced herself from his touch but she did not flee from him. Her arms crossed across her chest for a moment, her blade flashed in the light coming from the open door of the chapel. The reflection hit Joe's face, illuminating him just a bit more. He looked puzzled and concerned. He had never seen Maggie recoil from him before. In their short meetings she had always been very eager to talk to him.

_Maggie's body language spoke volumes. She hung onto his every word and that was when Joe knew he had her. She leaned forward towards the glass between them, ready to take in whatever Joe had to tell her next. "Maggie, I want to let you know...there are others like you and well...I think you'd make the best of friends." Emma needed a female figure in her life that wasn't going to torment her. Maggie was just a bit older than Emma so maybe they could become like sisters. Joe was building a little family around himself, all from inside the system._

_ "Others?" Maggie's head tilted to the side as she talked to Joe through the glass. She had been coming here for almost a year now. She came to visit as much as she was legally allowed to. She knew there were others but she hadn't been aware that they would be anything like her. Maggie had no illusions that Joe was in love with her or something. She was not that kind of woman. She just enjoyed his company and she valued the way his brain worked. They were not valued in the current society but they knew that their ways were better than what current society had to offer. Killing was the ultimate release. Maggie had just done something that Joe hadn't; she had gotten away with it. _

_ "You see, I have these plans...so that I can one day be with you all."_

_ Maggie's eyes lit up. There was a fire there that warmed Joe's heart. That fire was one of the reasons he was so interested in keeping Maggie around. Her record was spotless and yet she was a murderous beauty. She understood the pleasure that came with killing almost as well as he did. He had begun to teach her the artfulness of each kill. Soon she would be his perfect little protege. She had been easy to groom. She had come to him with only a few pieces missing. Now that he had set them in she was bound to be perfect._

_ "Please, go on." _

"That is not how I feel at all." he shook his head as he looked at her. Joe took a step towards her in order to bridge the gap she had made between them. He didn't want her deserting him now. She was such a loyal follower and such a devilish woman. She had always been so interesting. "I am terribly sorry about Rick." his words rang out in the chapel but they fell upon deaf ears. Maggie had already decided that Joe didn't care at all.

"All of us our replaceable." her words were hard. She said each word with depth and gravity. You could feel them drop out of her mouth. The echoes of these hallowed halls brought an eeriness to the situation that would have anyone on edge. The darkness of the chapel was only illuminated by the fading light of day that broke through the open door and the few stained glass windows.

"No, don't be foolish." he said, his voice giving into a half chuckle.

Her eyes filled with fire again but it wasn't the same flame Joe had seen all those years ago. Had he really just laughed? Did he think this was a joke? Rick was dead. Dead. You couldn't bring someone back from that. Joe should know that better than anyone. Maggie knew she would never get to see Rick again. She would never feel his lips against hers or the movement of his body pressing against her own. She would never again get to be with him. To make matters worse the FBI had his body. They would do whatever they'd want to it and Joe didn't care. He just wanted to go be with his followers. He wanted to meet the others that he hadn't known about. He wanted to play God. "You played us, like little pawns in your game!" her voice raised before her arm did. She did not even have the time to make the downward swing to stab him before she was caught in the chest by two shots. The blade fell out of her hand and she fell in the opposite direction, limp and dead on the ground. Her body made impact with the floor with a resounding thud.

Joe spun around to see Liette standing there with her handgun still pointed. The moment she had noticed Maggie escalating she had discretely pulled the weapon from her hip. Liette was thankful she still had a weapon. It was the only thing that made her feel safe in all this. Joe trusted her enough to not take it from her.

"I had to." she shook slightly as her eyes caught his. She didn't want him to get angry again. Her mind flashed to the thought of him picking up Maggie's blade only to attack her for taking out another one of his followers. She was directly to blame for Finn, Hank and now Maggie. It might have not been too surprising to see Joe lunge at her. All past history put aside Liette knew she would have to pull the trigger; it was the only way she would survive. Her wrist ached at the thought of him back in the car, holding onto her arm with the intensity that only came from someone with murder inside their blood. He would overpower her again if she didn't defend herself.

But Joe didn't pick up the blade. He stepped towards her slowly and raised his hand for her to lower her gun. His hand fell upon her wrist but it did not apply pressure. He just lightly suggested that she should lower her arms. Their eyes connected and Liette got the sense that she was safe. She saw her own Joe before her now. Her arms lowered and she holstered her weapon. Once she did Joe felt more freely to move about her. His arms engulfed her and his one hand made waves through her hair as he pressed her close to him. Liette was stiff for a moment but eventually she let herself relax into his embrace. His fingers tangled in her blonde hair as he breathed a breath of relief. The loss of Maggie was tragic but necessary. The moment Maggie decided her loyalty belonged to Rick's memory she had lost what made her important.

"I love you," he said in a sigh. He wanted her to hear that and he wanted her to believe it. He needed her to believe it. If she could just see how much she truly meant to him. He loved her more now than ever. She continued to do everything for him, even if that had lost him three of his followers. Liette didn't need to express anything back to him. Right now her actions were enough. Having her here with him was enough. She could kill a dozen more of his followers but he'd still want her around. Perhaps Maggie had been correct; they were replaceable.

Liette was not.


	35. Chapter 35 - Change

[_Hope you enjoy, please feel free to keep leaving any sort of review. I've loved hearing from you all.]_

The stench from Maggie Kester's body alerted a passerby that something was wrong just three days later. Parker, Hardy and Weston were quick to be on the scene. Ryan was happy to see his sister's torturer dead but he would have liked to have pulled the trigger himself. Since being released from the hospital Emily had been moved into protective custody which meant Ryan had no idea where she or her family was. Even without killing Emily Joe had won in a way. He had kept them separated after giving them a chance to repair their family bond. Ryan swore after all of this he would try and fix things with her.

It was no surprise that Ryan was drinking from his water bottle the entire way to the chapel where Maggie's body had been found. For the past five days they had come up empty handed. Every lead they found was a piece of thread that pulled out and lead to nothing. It was infuriating. Hank wasn't talking, there had been no signs of the trio and Joe and Liette were completely in the wind.

As the three of them approached Maggie's body the coroner turned to look up at them. The woman had started processing once she was called but had taken note of everything. She was good at this job. Nothing she had done to Maggie's body would slow the FBI down. If anything she was an asset that they needed to trust. "This note was slipped under her shirt." she held it up to Parker who took the small piece of paper in her gloved hands.

"_I couldn't take this one alive. I had no choice. Wait for my next, this won't be my last, there are more than we thought." - The Wife of Bath _

"That isn't Poe is it?" Ryan asked, tying to figure out where he had heard the words before.

"It's Chaucer, from the Canterbury Tales."

_Joe's lectures were generally stimulating but the current talk about Chaucer's Canterbury Tales did nothing to further Ryan's investigation of a man killing innocent girls and using Poe as his motivation. He had half the mind to walk out of the class but he thought it would be rude. He needed to speak to Joe anyway so waiting around for the lecture to end was probably for the best. An hour our of his schedule really wasn't going to ruin Ryan's day._

_"I want opinions on the Wife of Bath, please, don't be shy." Joe asked, looking out to the class. At first no one provided a hand or a word. There were a few whispers of ideas from the back of the classroom but for a moment no one cared to answer. Some of them clearly hadn't done the readings while others were too shy or too shallow to come up with anything important to say. Joe waited patiently, he knew eventually someone would speak up. Someone always broke the awkward silence. _

_ "She seems like a bitch," one young man spoke up, leaning back in his chair with confidence that his opinion meant something. _

_ "Please Troy, elaborate before your female classmates disintegrate you with their glares." Joe joked, causing the class to give a small chuckle. He had a way of lightening the air around his students. They seemed comfortable in here. It was clear that not all of them were as fond of Joe's class as they had thought they would be but they all seemed to like Joe. He was a professor that was likable and charming. Regardless of the material he was easy to listen to. _

_ "Well first off she marries guys for money," Troy pointed out fairly._

_ "Kinda like how you date girls for their cup size." a girl called from the back of the class, causing the class to erupt into more laughter. Troy sunk into his seat slightly. He suddenly felt embarrassed. Joe didn't like to see this but he didn't know how to help Troy. Shaming often stunts and shuts out creativity and expression. Troy just needed a better way to articulate his ideas. Joe made a mental note to speak to him later on._

_ "Settle down, settle down." Joe said, bringing the attention back to him."Alright, anybody else?" this time a hand shot up. A blonde girl in the front of the class had her arm up in the sky like a rocket. The length of her arm was straight and locked, she was clearly eager to share some idea that had formulated in her head while the others had been too busy mocking Troy. "Liette, please enlighten us with your thoughts." Joe said, his eyes lighting up as he saw her hand raise in the air. _

_ "She's no less of a slave to the gender expectations of her time than Griselde from The Clerk's Tale." Liette started off. Her eyes remained on her text for a minute as she read over a small passage with her quick brain. Brown eyes lifted and met Joe's. His lips curved into a rather large smile. He could feel her brain at work and he was excited to see what she was thinking. Liette made teaching these classes interesting. She also made Joe long for their Sunday coffee dates and the long conversations they could have outside of the classroom. He was absolutely smitten with her. "She appears to be this modern woman who can travel on her own and can marry who she wants but she has to give up her femininity to do so. The pardoner is more of a woman than the Wife, she's given up so much of herself just to get what she wants." _

In a way Liette had done the same; she had given up much of herself to try and stop Joe.

"Someone said there was another note?" the coroner asked.

"Signed the fox." Parker nodded.

"The fox is a character from the tales as well." the coroner enlightened them, helping them make a connection they had missed before. They had assumed the fox was just a signal to suggest their helper was cunning. Clearly it was more than that.

"Joe likes Poe, Liette liked Chaucer." Mike reminded everyone.

"We still don't know for sure that it is her." Parker shot him down almost immediately as she had done with all of his hopeful statements lately. There was some bitterness in Debra about losing Liette. She wanted to believe what Mike did but some of the signs suggested that Liette was doing more than acting. Something was clearly off.

Mike wanted to believe with all his heart that there was a reason Liette had taken off. He wanted to believe that he hadn't stood side by side with a girl that had been in love with Joe Carroll all these years. He just wanted to believe she was better than this. All this time spent chasing after her to make sure she was okay had made Weston protective over her. The idea that Liette had only gone with Joe to help the investigation solved the mental dilemma he had about how to feel about her. The note had used the word "we". If Liette was the one leaving them these people with these notes she still considered herself part of the team. She hadn't fallen for Joe and his charm. She was still one of them.

Right now that was all that mattered to Weston.

Joe had not even been suspicious when Liette suggested checking the body for any fibre that would lead to them. He had not seen her scribble out her note and slip it into Maggie's shirt. He had wandered by the door and waited for her so they could leave. Once again their connection was cut off and they had to go off on their own. In many ways Liette was becoming a bad luck charm but Joe was doing his best to suppress his emotions about that. He couldn't allow himself to grow cold with her again. It was too risky. He didn't want to hurt her. Still,seeing Liette kill Maggie had reassured Joe of one thing; he needed to kill again.


	36. Chapter 36 - Mushrooms

They had been the car for an hour now. It had taken Joe quite some time to make up his mind about where to go next. They had luckily managed to check into another motel without being recognized. They had spent four nights there. They had ate nothing but delivery Chinese food and pizza since they stationed themselves in that motel. It was all making Liette sick to her stomach. But it wasn't just the food. Liette knew they couldn't keep stopping like this. It was too risky. Eventually someone was going to be watching the news and realize who she was or who Joe was if they got a glimpse of him. They had been careful so far. Joe had always remained out of sight when they were dealing with strangers. They still tested their luck every time they had to stop somewhere where people could see them.

Joe had realized this also.

They needed somewhere safe to stay. In reality going to find Maggie had never given them that option. She had been wanted and on the run as well. That would have just added another fugitive to their group. Joe had begun to see all the advantages of her death. Maggie had been a brilliant girl but clearly she had been a liability. There was no need to mourn her now. There were others somewhere that could help them. Joe just needed to reach them. The options were limited but Joe had made his decision of where they would be the most comfortable but he had yet to tell Liette. He just kept driving. Her eyes scanned each sign to try and figure out where they were headed but they never pulled off the road. The car just kept moving and Joe didn't speak a word about their future destination.

"Where are we going?" she asked after she grew weary of trying to guess in her mind. Joe was still incredibly difficult to figure out. She knew his profile better than most but that didn't mean she could read his mind. He was still pretty good at hiding things from her, from everyone.

"To meet up with Emma and the boys again."

"Where is that?"

"You'll see." he said with a grin on his face.

There was something about his grin that Liette didn't like. It made her uneasy. He was planning something and he was hiding it from her. She immediately began to worry that he had noticed her slip the note on Maggie's body. What if he was onto her? What if he had something terrible planned for her? She could put nothing past him.

"Why won't you tell me?" she said with a shaky voice.

"It's a surprise."

Liette had always hated surprises. Not only did she get anxiety from them but she tended to ruin them. Ruining surprises had always caused people to lash out on her. It had been the cause of one of the few breakups she had ever had. It had been an accident. She warned people often that surprising her was not a good idea and yet they insisted on trying anyway. This time around Liette wasn't worried about ruining the surprise but more so what the surprise was going to entail. There had to be something about the location that had significance. She just prayed they weren't on their way to Florida. She didn't want her mother involved in this.

Luckily Liette was relieved as Joe pulled the car onto the interstate and started heading North instead of South. Her family was safe from Joe and his minions for now. Her mind couldn't think of anywhere else significant Joe would be taking them. North could have meant Lane's End but she knew Joe wouldn't risk going there now that the FBI had been there. He had said it would be a very long drive but Liette still had no clue.

A yawn escaped the blonde's lips and that caused Joe to look over at her. "Love you look tired, why don't you get some sleep?" he suggested. Liette stiffened slightly. She hadn't liked sleeping in Joe's presence to begin with but the idea of sleeping while he was still awake was unnerving. Every night since their escape she had waited until he was sound asleep to fall asleep as well. She knew he could wake up before her but it still made her feel better knowing that at least for a while he would be unconscious and therefore not dangerous. Giving into sleep now would mean complete vulnerability.

"I'm alright," she shook her head.

"We'll be driving a while. Sleep."

"I'm fine."

"Why are you being difficult?" his voice fell hard on her ears. He was suddenly very serious. Liette knew she couldn't just freeze up. She didn't want to sleep and she needed to give him a legitimate reason. She definitely couldn't say it was because she was still afraid of him. That would only upset him. She had to keep pretending like everything was okay. It was actually becoming easier and easier. She did feel more at ease with Joe now than she had the first night but the change was only minimal. He was still a killer after all.

"I want to stay up...I don't want to waste my time with you." she said slowly, coming up with an excuse that she figured Joe would deem reasonable. "I'll sleep tonight."

Not another word of protest came out of Joe's mouth. He reached over and put his hand on Liette's thigh. He was grinning from ear to ear and there was peace in him. He had felt an itching inside ever since they had left Maggie. He needed to kill but Liette's affection seemed to overpower that need. She was able to distract him just enough that the itch for murder subsided. It would never leave completely but Joe was able to find some peace with her around.

Silence had pretty much been their mantra on these drives but Joe was itching to talk. He wasn't sure what to say. He almost felt awkward about the whole situation. He kept confessing his love to Liette but she was very ambiguous to him. There had been physical contact but nothing past hugging or hand holding. She smiled at him and complimented him but she hadn't given him a definite assuring of her feelings. She hadn't even really given him a glimpse of how she felt. He was an open book with the emotions she made him feel but she was more closed.

"We should stop somewhere for dinner." Joe suggested, breaking the silence as they passed an old closed down diner on the road. He was getting sick of take-out and delivery. It would be nice to have a decent meal. Liette wouldn't deny feeling hungry but they couldn't just eat anywhere. The more people who saw them the more likely it was that they would be recognized.

"We can't risk that."

"I just want to be able to take you out." Joe said gruffly.

"I don't need you to." Liette shook her head, not quite understanding what he was getting at. This sudden interest in going out seemed odd to her. Joe was smarter than that. He knew that they were both wanted and that anyone could turn them in. He knew the risks that were associated with going into public and yet his rationale was skewed to a more risky approach.

"But it is what is proper." he said firmly. "You deserve it."

That was when she got it. Proper. That word seemed to snap the situation into Liette's mind. He wanted to go on a date. He wanted to take her on a date. This should not have been too surprising at all. His constant confessions of love suggested he was really trying to move their relationship forward. Liette had avoided it slightly, as much as she could. She let him hug her and touch her but she never allowed herself to get too close. She wanted to make sure she wouldn't be fully swayed by his charm. It was flattering to hear I love you from a man like Joe but just that thought itself was dangerous. She'd fall in love with him all over again and then she'd lose herself. Liette couldn't let that happen. She was already dealing with so many contradictions in herself by being here with Joe so she had to keep struggling to hang onto her true self.

At the same time she needed to play this game with him. She had practically cast herself into the role of the villain's leading lady. She had made herself back into the target of Joe's love and that meant she had to play the part. "How about when we get where we're going you can cook me dinner?" she said, slowly putting her hand over hers. Her touch made him give her leg a soft squeeze. Shockingly it did not make her flinch. It just felt normal. More and more the physical interactions between them became old hat. It was just part of how things were now. "I'd prefer that anyway."

"As long as I don't cook anything with mushrooms." 

_"There isn't mushrooms in this is there?" Liette started to cough after just a few bites of the pasta Joe had made her. Claire was once again out of town while he was still here so he had naturally invited Liette over. Being at his house was always so odd for Liette. She was out of her comfort zone but Joe did his best to calm her down. Wine, good food and stimulating conversation took the edge off just slightly. But right now even the greatest hospitality would not have done that. She could feel herself choking. _

_"Just in the sauce...oh God are you allergic?" Joe realized why she was getting red-faced and having a hard time breathing. He jumped up from his seat and went over to her. He kneeled beside her, his hand on her back, rubbing in hopes that it would soothe her. Maybe something was just stuck in her throat._

_ "I should have said something." Liette choked out. _

_ "We need to get you to a hospital."_

_ "No, it usually isn't too bad...I just..." but her coughing got worse and Liette realized that it was a little bid bad. She could feel her throat closing up and it was becoming much harder to breathe. It was more than just a few traces of mushrooms. Liette could handle that. If there were mushrooms on a pizza she could generally pick them off and be unaffected it was the whole mushroom itself that sent her into an allergic reaction. _

_ "No. Nothing can happen to you, we're going to the hospital." _

_ Joe hadn't driven driven like this since he was a teenager. His heart was beating a mile a minute and he couldn't calm down. He had thought about calling an ambulance but Liette refused and he figured he could drive faster anyway. The blonde continued to heave and choke beside him, making him terrified that he was going to be too late getting her to help. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. He needed to get her to the hospital. She couldn't die like this. _

_ Of course Liette didn't die. She was given a quick shot and then asked to wait around so a doctor could clear her. The nurse recommended carrying around an EpiPen to save them the hassle the next time. Liette felt like the whole situation had been a little ridiculous. She felt strange sitting here on a hospital bed with her professor by her side. It had gotten to the point where she sometimes forgot that he was her professor. They spent so much time together that it just felt like spending time with a friend. A very good friend. Still, in embarrassing moments like this Liette was reminded of the power structure between them._

_ "You can head home, I'll be good." she said, looking over at Joe._

_ "I'm staying with you, this was my fault." He said immediately. He leaned against the wall beside her hospital bed and shook his head at her. Guilt was written all over his face. It was silly really, he had spent so much time trying to figure out a way to kill her and then almost did it by accident. Joe got lost in that thought for a moment. He realized how wrong it would have been had Liette died tonight. It wouldn't have been beautiful or poetic at all. He needed to be more careful._

_ Liette's hand reaching over to touch his arm snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked over at her with sad eyes. She gave him a little assuring smile to try and get him to smile back. He didn't and that disappointed Liette. "Well the bruschetta was good." she said, trying to get some positive emotion out of him. Instead Joe buried his face into his hands in shame. _

_ "I'm so embarrassed."_

_ "Hey, don't be. I had a good time, I'm sorry I ruined dinner." she said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed so she was at a better angle to pull his hands away from his face. "Please, don't feel bad. I'm fine now." she said softly to him. It had been a bit of a scare for her too but everything was okay. Her brown eyes looked at him solemnly. He saw hope there. Hope that he would just smile. Joe had no other choice, he had to let his lip curve subtly. She crippled him with just the smallest of glances. He had never felt this way about anyone before, not even Claire. Claire would always be his first love and his heart would never let her go but Liette had a different power on him. She didn't even need to love him back and she set his heart aflame._

_ Once Liette saw Joe's lips quiver into the smallest smile possible she began to grin. Her smile was infectious for Joe and suddenly he was laughing. They both were. Out of an awkward moment came perfection, perfection that only they could understand. _

"No mushrooms." Liette nodded, giving into a laugh. The memory of that night was a fond one for her despite the inner conflict about knowing what Joe had been up to at that time. She still had fond memories with him despite it all. There were times she was able to look back on and find some happiness. Part of that hurt but it also made it a bit easier to act with Joe.

"Bruschetta then."

"Actually, I don't like tomatoes." Liette admitted, biting her lip. "I just lied to make you feel better." she had the tendency to be very polite. Joe had cooked her a meal and that was far too kind of him. Liette would have never refused to eat something that someone has specially cooked for her. She was just too courteous.

"Of course you did." he shook his head, laughing slightly before letting out a sigh.

She could see that he was trying, he was attempting to be normal with her. Maybe that was something? He showed so many signs of having his old self still present inside of him. He wasn't just cold and ruthless. Maybe it would have been easier to deal with him if he was. Maybe she could have just shot him and saved the world a lot of grief. But that wasn't how it was at all. Joe was right when he had said he wasn't a psychopath. He didn't fit the description properly. He felt too deeply, especially for her.

"I like garlic bread." she said, looking over at him. She gave him a smile that he quickly returned the moment he got to look at her. For the first time he really felt her trying to connect with him. Ambiguity was set aside and Joe felt as if she was genuinely here. It was almost like ol times; maybe better.

"Garlic bread it is then."

_[I will admit this chapter was essentially just fluff, but I promise it is a connecting chapter. More action will happen soon!]_


	37. Chapter 37 - Happy Together

"Someone is here." Paul stiffened as he heard a car pull into the driveway. Things had been quiet for the three of them since Joe had sent them away. It had been a long and tedious drive to New York but they had made it. Emma had stopped bitching about her shoulder so it seemed she was going to make a full recovery. She had even been up for a little tumble in the sheets last night but Paul was still feeling bitter about it because he hadn't been invited. The night the three of them had shared together had been something special but it seemed that Jacob and Emma were back on their own train. He was feeling like the third wheel once again but he hoped that feeling wouldn't last too long.

"What?" Jacob stood up and walked to the window with Paul. The two of them scanned the vehicle that pulled in. It looked familiar and just a few seconds later they were reminded why. Joe stepped out of the driver's seat and rounded the car to grab Liette's door. He held it open for her and she stepped out, taking a look around. "It's Joe." Jacob said, looking back at Emma who was resting on the couch.

The girl seemed to spring to life with that comment. She used her fingers to push back her short hair and let a smile cross her lips. "He came back." she said in an airy breath. He had not abandoned them for Liette. There had been a few moments when Emma had feared that. She had worried that Joe no longer cared for them but now it was clear that she had been over thinking all of it. He had needed to be away from them for a while but now they could be together again.

Liette had still been confused as to why Joe had brought her here until he had spoke up in the driveway. "I know it isn't Times Square but I figured you'd like the view." She had always talked about wanting to go to New York. Back in college she hadn't had the money to take the trip but she had seen it since. Now Joe was trying to ensure that she would see it again. This house was right on the bay and you could see the skyline of skyscrapers from the front porch. It was beautiful and under different circumstances Liette would have loved the idea of residing here. Right now she didn't like the fact that she was about to be reunited with three psychopaths once more.

"Do you like it?" Joe asked as he took Liette's hand. She gave him a small nod. She didn't seem as impressed as he had thought she would be. He bit his lip and tried to think of something else to say but instead his attention was caught by the front door opening.

"Joe!" Emma practically flew into his arms, separating the link he had with Liette as he let go of her hand to hug Emma. He wrapped his arms around her carefully and pulled her in tight. It was good to see that she was okay. Now that the anger about them losing Joey had subsided Joe was able to appreciate having Emma close. She had always been so loyal to him. Her thrill to see him made him feel wonderful. She was one of the few lights in his very dark life.

"I told you I'd come back," he laughed as he pulled back from the hug to see that Emma had tears in her eyes. "I'm not leaving you this time," he promised with a smile. Emma's emotions rushed at this. Joe was staying for good. They could all finally be together. "Soon, we'll be with the others. Has anyone contacted you?"

"The others?" Emma's face twisted just as Maggie's had days ago. This was news for her as well. She had been kept out of the loop and only knew about the small immediate group that Joe had charged her with. She had pretty much been the leader of her sect but clearly this was much bigger than she had ever imagined.

"Oh come on Emma, you had to know he wouldn't tell us everything." Paul was standing in the doorway listening to the whole conversation. His face formed an unamused grimace. He still wasn't so sure he wanted to trust Joe anymore. The man had sent them up here to New York to just sit on their asses and wait. Paul was sick of waiting. He wanted to trust Joe. He wanted to believe this whole thing was going to amount to something for him but it was looking less and less likely. This was Joe's story, they had been fools so far to think they were anything more than pawns in his sick game. He didn't care who loved or who died and he certainly care how it happened. What if their deaths weren't beautiful? What if they died before they could amount to anything? That was what Paul feared.

"Dude, shut up." Jacob hit Paul's arm, knowing that angering Joe would get them nowhere. They just had to keep going with this. Clearly this was bigger than they had ever imagined but maybe that was a good thing. They had a chance to be a part of something great. Paul was going to lose that chance if he didn't calm down.

"Paul, I had to keep some things from all of you to keep you safe." Joe said as he left Emma's side to approach Paul. His hand came up to touch the side of Paul's face. He hooked his hand back to the nape of the younger man's neck and pulled Paul in closer to speak to him. His face was filled with emotion and motivation but Paul wasn't sure if he bought it. He watched Joe's every move from his closeness. He tried to read the man but was aware of how difficult it was. Joe was the master in this game. "Everything will become clear very soon. Roderick will call."

Roderick was the name of the main character in Poe's_ The Fall of the House of Usher_. Liette remembered Joe talking about it in class but it wasn't a story she had cared for. It was all still there in her head but that wasn't what she needed to focus on. Of course the name was relevant to Poe's work but the greater question was who was Roderick really and why would he be contacting them?

"Now, Liette and I came a long way. I'd like to make us all dinner." Joe said, casting a glance at Liette. He raised his hand to her to get her to come. She did not hesitate. Her hand was in his almost in a moment and he was leading her inside. The house was just as nice on the outside as it was on the inside. Clearly a lot of Joe's followers had money that they had been wiling to spend on him. This wasn't surprising at all. She wouldn't be surprised to find out that some people had emptied their bank accounts just because Joe had asked. He could be a persuasive man and to these people he was practically a god.

"I can make dinner," Emma offered quickly.

"No thank you Emma, you've done enough, I want to take care of all of you." he said with a soft look. Emma's smile remained on her face and she gave him a nod. "Perhaps you can show Liette upstairs so she can get comfortable. I'm sure she'd like a shower and a fresh change of clothes." Joe said with a soft smile. Liette gave him a nod that suggested she agreed with him. She needed a bit of alone time to wash off and get her head clear. She had spent almost every minute with Joe over the past couple of days and it would be nice to have a break.

Emma didn't protest. As Joe let go of Liette's hand she took a soft hold of Liette's wrist. "Come on," she said softly. She was going to try and show Joe that she'd play friendly with Liette. Hopefully this would promote Joe's appreciation. If Emma and Liette could become friends, Emma had a better chance at staying close to Joe.

While Emma was charged with Liette, Paul and Jacob were once again given nothing to do. Joe found his way to the kitchen and immediately started pulling things from the cupboards. The slice of a knife hitting the cutting board rang through into the other room. It was only slightly unnerving.

"I don't like it." Paul said as he took a seat in the living room. Joe's little show of physical closeness had done nothing to convince Paul that he was actually emotionally attached to them. He definitely liked Emma the best but that didn't mean he wouldn't let her hang on her own noose one day.

"Dude, you need to just chill out." Jacob shook his head as he sat on the arm of the couch that Paul had sat on.

"Don't tell me to chill out." Paul snapped, emphasizes the first word.

"You've been tense ever since we've got here." Jacob said with a sigh.

"What do you want me to do?!" Paul's voice raised once more. He was done with everyone criticizing him. He couldn't just be the rag doll they wanted him to be. He did have a brain and he could see when things weren't right. He wasn't as blind as Emma and Jacob seemed to be. "I got to play third wheel to you and Emma again and now I get to play fifth wheel."

"Is that why you're being a little bitch?" Jacob asked. If Paul was always going to pull fits about him and Emma this house was going to be uncomfortable. He loved Emma. In a way he loved Paul too but he wasn't so sure he could be what Paul wanted him to be. He was scared of accepting that part of his life. He wasn't even really sure if it was what he wanted. He was attracted to Paul in one way and to Emma in another. They both gave him something he needed but he couldn't decide what he needed more.

"Don't call me that!"

"Boys is something wrong?" Joe was standing the doorway of the living room. He had been listening to their conversation from the kitchen but had decided not to interrupt until he heard their voices raised. He didn't want their to be a full out fight tonight. This needed to be a relaxing night for all of them. Soon enough their lives would get very busy so it was important to have a night where they could just take a breather.

"No." Jacob said the moment Joe's question finished.

Paul looked at Jacob, anger burning in his brown eyes as he stood up from the couch. "I have a headache, I'm going to lay down." he said to both of them and then left the room without another word. He pushed past Joe in the doorway and headed upstairs. Joe watched him go and then allowed his eyes to fall back on Jacob.

"Paul's having a hard time."

"He'll be okay." Jacob said, standing up straight in Joe's presence. He didn't want Joe to think that they were falling apart. They needed to be a cohesive unit. They had already screwed up by losing Joey Matthews. They had almost lost Emma that day as well. It was vital for them to not screw up again. "He just needs some rest, he was worried about you."

"Of course."

"Do you need any help with dinner?" Jacob asked.

"No, thank you Jacob. Maybe you should get some rest too."

The house was nice. Not quite as nice as Lane's End but a bit nicer than the place in Virginia Town. Emma showed Liette the master bedroom. Clearly she and Jacob would be moving out of this room to give it to her and Joe. Liette wished she could just have a room on her own but she knew requesting that would not go over well. She had to keep up this charade with Joe which meant she had to pretend that he had a chance to win her love back.

But how much was she pretending?

Every second with Joe was harder and harder. Every moment with him brought more memories into her mind of how they used to be. She was reminded of the man that was her best friend and of the man that she had fallen in love with. She could feel that old blush finding her cheeks every time he complimented her and sometimes she felt herself falling into the flow of their old conversations. She felt herself getting comfortable because she was allowing to see him as separated from his crimes.

But then when she closed her eyes she remembered the horrors again.

This time it was in the shower. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't get soap in her eyes when suddenly she saw the faces of girls from her classes flashing before her eyes. Their faces were eyeless and cold. They appeared as they had on the board in the briefing room in the FBI. With enough focus she could pretend that she was there again. Of course that wasn't the case. Her eyes opened once more as the water turned cold and she was reminded of the choice she had made.

She had decided to be one of them even if she was just pretending. Right now this was her life. No matter how this ended there was never a way she would see the inside of the briefing room again. Her badge was useless now and her gun would be taken away the moment they got her into custody. If she made it that far. In reality the most likely end to this involved the end of her life.

"Liette." a knock came after Emma's voice sounded. "Joe says dinner is almost ready."

"Alright, I'll be down in a bit." she responded, turning off the water. Her body shivered as she stepped out of the shower into the bathroom. She grabbed a towel of the back of the door and wrapped it around herself. She used the back of her arm to wipe the steam off of the mirror to get a look at herself. Under her eyes were two dark circles from the lack of sleep she had been getting. Overall she looked exhausted. Maybe she needed a night to relax as well.

"I've set some clothes out on the bed for you to pick from."

"Thank you Emma." Liette didn't like how friendly Emma was being. She imagined there was some sort of underlying reason for this new amiable nature that Emma was displaying. Liette had a feeling it wasn't just gratitude for stitching up her arm.

"See you downstairs."

Dinner was strange. The five of them slipped into the table in a quiet nature but as Joe began to command conversation the atmosphere lightened significantly. Liette and Paul were by far the quietest but the others kept trying to drag them back into conversation. It was Jacob who was constantly encouraging Paul to interact but Paul gave him nothing but head nods and one word answers. He thanked Joe for dinner but he was the first one to get up from the table. He claimed it was his headache again.

"He'll be alright, just needs some sleep, I'm sure." Joe said before standing from the table "Now, who would like a drink?" he had not had a sip of alcohol since his incarceration. His body was suddenly craving it and he had noticed a few bottles in the cupboards of the kitchen. There was no reason they couldn't drink.

"I'll take a glass of wine please," Emma said with a nod. They had broken out a bottle a few nights ago but it would nice to have a drink with Joe. He deserved it. They needed to celebrate, with or without Paul. If he didn't want to be part of all this now then it was his own fault for missing out.

"Same please," Jacob nodded.

"Liette?" Joe looked to his favorite blonde but she was already shaking her head.

"I'm alright." she didn't think alcohol would be a good idea.

"Whiskey and coke then." Joe said, deciding for her. He was back in the kitchen pouring drinks before she could really protest. She got up from her seat and followed him.

"Joe, I really don't want anything," she said as she came into him opening a new wine to pour out for Emma and Jacob. She walked up to stand beside him but he kept working on the drinks before turning to look at her.

"Please Liette, have a drink with me." his hand was already on the whiskey bottle. He was unscrewing the cap with the hand Ryan Hardy had not hurt.

"Joe..." she went to protest again.

"It means a lot to me."

"I..." she wanted to keep protesting but suddenly he was looking right at her with those piercing brown eyes. The way he was looking at her almost made her feel guilty for no. Suddenly she was coming up with excuses in her mind. All the excuses were made to allow herself to not feel bad about having a drink. Just one. You won't get drunk. You'll stay safe. All these thoughts ran through her mind and suddenly she had convinced herself no harm could come out of this. "Oh alright, just one."

"Just one...to start." he smirked.

_Just one Liette, just one_...to start.


	38. Chapter 38 - No Church in the Wild

It had been ten years since Joe had had a drop of alcohol and now a few drinks in and he was quite wasted. His whole body tingled with a warmth that he had missed. He had finished one last glass of wine with Emma before he kissed her on the forehead and stumbled up the stairs. He was amused with his own drunken state. It felt good to be inebriated and to let go. For a moment he wasn't sure he was going to make it all the way up but eventually his foot found the final stair and he was able to stumble towards the bedroom from there.

Liette had gone upstairs just a little while before. Joe had been tempted to follow her then but Emma had asked him to stay for one last drink. He had obliged, knowing that it was best to keep a happy atmosphere amongst him and Emma especially considering the fact that Paul was in a mood. The last thing Joe needed was to turn them against him. They were crucial in the future chapters of his books. Emma had just wanted some alone time to talk to him. She was very happy to have him back in her life. It was almost cute how Emma bent on his every word. Joe could feel the power he had over her. It was the power he no longer had with Liette.

During their former years Joe had been well aware of his student hanging off his every word. She had contributed intelligently to their conversations but she had been hooked on his speech nonetheless. Now things were very different. At times Liette was an active participant in their talks but in other moments Joe could feel her distance. She did not anticipate his every syllable anymore. Liette had definitely become unhooked. He needed to find a way to get her back again.

When Joe entered the master bedroom he found Liette coming out of the bathroom, changed into a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top that she had found in the dresser. Her hair hung loosely over her one shoulder and she had wiped her face clear of the make-up that she had just put on before dinner. Joe wondered why she bothered to put it on. She didn't need it. She was beautiful either way. Still, if it was what she liked to do he wouldn't stop her from fixing herself up. She could make her own decisions. There was just one decision he really wanted her to make and that involved him. She needed to decide that she wanted him and in his drunken state Joe believed she needed to decide now. "You're the most stunning woman in the world." his words were breathy and he could taste the wine on himself as he spoke. He stumbled towards her drunkenly and wrapped his arms around her waist. Liette fidgeted slightly in his grasp because it was slightly tight but eventually she loosened up.

"You're drunk." she whispered to him, her eyes falling to the floor. She felt weak in his arms right now but that was because she wasn't herself. Her gun was in the bedside table and therefore it was too far away to grab. Besides in this state she was unlikely to be a very good shot. If he wanted to harm her tonight would be the night to do it.

"I'm still right." he said, allowing his one arm to leave her waist in order to come up to the side of her face. A loose strand of hair had fallen down in front of her eyes so Joe pushed it back to where it belonged. He took in the beautiful sight of those knowing brown eyes. He fell harder and harder every time he had the chance to stare at them. It was as if her soul opened up for him and caused him to love her more. "But you're drunk too. Just one, right?" he teased her as he touched her nose gently with his pointer finger.

"Just five."

Joe had been more persuasive than Liette had remembered. He had had Jacob stumbling off to bed mindlessly because of way too many glasses of wine in the same way he had convinced Liette to keep having another glass. It seemed like he just kept pouring the whiskey and she had lost the will to refuse him. Part of it was because of how it made her feel. All the worry and pain she suffered through by being here seemed to fade away with the drink. She now understood why Ryan kept that water bottle so close to him. The vodka helped him cope and tonight the whiskey had helped Liette.

Joe's drinks had done nothing for coping but had instead encouraged more frequent truthfulness to come out of his mouth. He was not in the trade of lying to Liette but sometimes he silenced his thoughts because he thought they might upset her. He did not share his feelings about murder or his urges to kill again but instead he kept it to himself. He was also very careful when it came to confessing his feelings. He didn't want to overwhelm Liette or pressure her to feel the same way but he was growing tired of waiting for a genuine response for her. Now with the alcohol in him Joe was desperate to find the response he really wanted. He hoped that her own drunken state would allow her to give it to him. He needed her feelings to be true.

"You are the perfect woman." he said, leaning closer to her. She could smell the wine on his breath mixing with the whiskey scent of her own. He was far too close for comfort but personal space seemed to be out of the question when Joe was drinking. He wanted so badly to kiss her. The feeling of her lips on his was unknown to him but he had thought about it year after year. He had obsessed over it on those nights after he had killed the girls back in 2003. Every kill had relieved him of some pain her felt over not being with Liette but he had never stopped longing for her. He thought about those lips more often than any man should. He just wanted to taste them and feel them. He needed to know what it was like but he needed it to be real. His fantasy almost exclusively involved her kissing him. She had to at least kiss him back or the magic would be lost. "I love you so much." the words fell from his mouth like they had before and once again Liette responded with a sigh.

"I know."

That was when things changed. Joe's free hand grabbed her wrist and he held onto her with an intensity that was scary. His whole demeanor shifted again as it had when they were in the car. She had not given him the answer he wanted. His raw emotions coursed through him causing aggression that was powered by alcohol. "Why won't you say it back?" his voice echoed out in a growl. It was quite evident that he was serious. He was desperate for the proper response. He wanted to know if she had real feelings for him. He was confessing his love and yet she would not say it back. It was frustrating. Soberly he would have rationed out that this would take more time but in his drunken state Joe was unable to see reason. He wanted to know why she couldn't just make things easier.

"I can't..."

"Why?!" his voice bellowed and it was not hard to imagine that the others heard the altercation. None of them moved from their beds. It was in no one's interest to get involved in this fight. This was between Joe and Liette. They would have to do this on their own, even if neither one of them was in the right state to do so.

"I'm not ready yet."

"What do I have to do to make you love me again?"

"I don't know!" she ripped away from his grasp and crossed across the room but he wasn't about to let space truly come between them. He was upon her in moments. His hands were on her body, spinning her so she would face him again. He had her cornered up against the wall and he was practically pressing himself against her as he demanded more of an answer from her. Fear surged through Liette as she felt her predator attack. He had more of a free range this time because the room was bigger. She knew what he could do to her if he didn't control his temper. She knew that if he found the courage to kill her then it would not be beautiful or quick.

"Tell me! I'll do anything!"

"Joe, don't do this." she said, shaking under the weight of his daunting stare. He watched her eyes fill up with tears. He had made her cry again and this time that just made him angry. Nothing he could do worked out right. He could not find the way to give her everything she wanted and it was infuriating. She needed to give him some sort of clue so he could actually head in the right direction. He felt like he was making no progress or at least very little. Her crying signaled to him that he had just taken two steps back.

He couldn't keep dealing with it like this.

"Fine." Joe tore away from her in frustration and began to stumble towards the doorway. Liette watched him as he made his way slowly to exit the room. She came off of the wall and took a few steps in the same direction as him.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"You can't go out, you'll get yourself caught." she reasoned out, slurring her words slightly as she moved to sit down on the bed. She felt lightheaded and dizzy. The rush of excitement plus the alcohol in her blood was a little too much. She watched Joe carefully and then had to wonder why he would just leave? There were other options. This house appeared to have lots of rooms and Liette knew the couches downstairs would work as a bed if needed. There was no point in him leaving unless he had something he wanted to do. "Besides, where would you go?"

"To find a girl."

"Why?" but Liette knew the answer without being told.

"You don't want me to answer that."

He wanted to kill again. She hadn't given him what he needed and therefore he needed his old habits back. He'd find another girl with blonde hair and he'd go after her. The blame would rest quite squarely on Liette's shoulders if she didn't stop him. He would kill because of her. This time she had the knowledge to know an intervention was needed or she'd have to physically stop him. Right now she wasn't in the proper state to be able to do so. If he walked out that door another young woman was going to die and Liette would be helpless to save her. It wasn't as if she had the physical prowess to stop him. That meant this had to happen on a psychological level. Liette's head was too jumbled to think of the words that could make him stay. Instead she just began to plead with him.

"Don't do this..."

"Don't bother." Joe snapped at her.

"Joe, please." she was on her feet again, moving towards him in the doorway. Her hand fell on his turned shoulder but he quickly whipped it out from under her touch. He didn't look at her for a moment but as he noticed her moving to reach out to him again he snapped.

"Why? You don't want me here! You don't love me anymore!" the words came out of Joe's mouth like a drunken realization. It hit him like a brick. He felt his mind wrapping around the idea after the words left his mouth. What if all of her feelings were gone? What if there was nothing left? This could have all been an act. "You're just pretending aren't you!?"

"Joe, stop."

Her voice was hard and for a moment it made Joe hate her. She had no right telling him what to do. He wouldn't allow her to speak to him like this but he couldn't hurt her. For the first time in a long time he really wanted to but he was reminded of the gut feeling he got whenever he tried to find a way to do so. His memory flashed back to skating and dinner at his house. He remembered the hardships he had had when faced with killing her. He wasn't sure he could do it even like this. It still felt wrong. He couldn't kill Liette. He couldn't. She needed to be part of his happy ending. He needed to take his aggression out somewhere else. His feet moved him out the doorway but Liette caught him before he could take the first step down the stairs.

"Joe..." no other words of begging or pleading came from her lips. Instead she found her opportunity when he looked back at her. In an instant she was before him, turning him to face her fully. Her hand reached up and touched the side of his cheek. He turned away from her but she pulled him back. His eyes were wrought with confusion and then suddenly Liette's hand was on the back of his neck. She leaned forward onto the balls of her feet and brought her face up to Joe's. A slight moment of hesitation shivered through her body as she found herself mere inches away from his face. She felt his breath mixing with hers before she closed her eyes and allowed herself to let go.

Liette's lips touched Joe's in the softest of ways. At first it was so gentle that it was barely there. Like a butterfly landing on your hand. But that feeling did not last long. Their drunken states and the built up tension led to Joe's hands finding Liette's waist to pull her closer to him. Liette's own hands put pressure on the back of his neck to drag him into the kiss more. Ten years ago she had wondered what this would feel like. She had forgotten her curiosity in her disgust of finding out what Joe was but that did not stop her from venturing back to old thoughts not. It was more than she had ever expected. It was a bit harder and perhaps a bit messier because of the drinking but it was still extraordinary. His hands held her closer as he captured her lips in his, not wanting to break for air.

When they did break there was a silence. Liette knew it had worked. Joe no longer showed any signs of wanting to head out of the door. He wouldn't need to kill tonight. It wasn't the confession he had been looking for but it was enough. They say actions speak louder than words and this time the actions spoke volumes. To Joe this was more than enough for now. Liette couldn't say the words yet but she could give him this. It felt perfect. It was the best way to experience a kiss for the first time in ten years. It was the kiss he had been waiting for and now he had it. Nothing about it felt wrong to Joe. It was in this moment that he realized he had actually let go of Claire. She had cheated on him and therefore divorce or not she had broken the contract of their marriage and their love by being with another man. The fact that that other man had been Ryan Hardy was just adding insult to injury. Now it didn't matter. He wasn't going to let Ryan have Claire but Joe didn't want her anymore either. Claire would be just another fun person to dispose of.

The break for air stopped as Joe felt himself needing her. Alcohol was not the only thing he had not had in ten years. His hands on his waste allowed him to walk her backwards back towards the bedroom. Liette was relieved to see that Joe wasn't heading off to kill some poor innocent girl because of her. They stumbled together through the hallway and Joe brought their lips together once more. It was carnal and wild as he found himself pressing them together more and more. He couldn't help himself. He moved his hands to her thighs and in one swift motion he picked her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist for stability and her arms clung to him. It was in this moment that Liette realized this was all escalating too quickly. What was supposed to be one kiss was turning into a lot more.

What had she done?

As Joe carried her towards the bed she realized what she might have implied to him. That had not been her intention. She had just been trying to snap him back to her so he wouldn't go kill. The kiss had been amazing and her old feelings thrived off his every touch but her mind began to sober at the thought of where this was going. Ryan Hardy's voice echoed in her head.

_"Is it also your job to have sex with serial killers!?"_

This could not happen but Liette wasn't sure she could say no. Fear surged through her. How far would she have to go to take Joe down? How much would she had to do to keep his trust? His lips found her neck and her body jolted at the feeling. This whole situation was a contradiction. Part of her wanted him more than anything and that was clear by the fact that she was psychically responsive to him but in her mind she knew it was wrong. The alcohol betrayed her and wanted her to follow her basic urges. Joe turned them around and lowered them onto the bed, Liette on top of him as he leaned up to kiss her more. His hands slipped under her shirt and it was quite clear that all of this was about to happen. Years of waiting and dreaming about it had left Joe unwilling to wait any longer.

But luckily for Liette an interruption was made.

"Oh...I'm sorry." Jacob's eyes had widened as he stood in the looking at them. He had been aware of Joe's feelings for Liette but Jacob had been convinced that Liette was not here because she loved Joe. There was something about the way she stood and spoke around them that told Jacob something was off. He didn't want to believe that she was still working for the FBI but he could understand that her trust in Joe had not been fully revived. Jacob had figured she just needed a bit more time but apparently she was a bit more ready than he had thought.

"What is it Jacob?" Joe growled from underneath Liette. Embarrassed the girl moved off of Joe and shifted to the side of the bed. It was like a cruel wake-up call that her life wasn't some romantic novel where the villain suddenly became the hero. Alcohol still pulsed through her but logic seemed to take over. She had almost just willingly slept with Joe.

"Roderick just messaged." Jacob said, causing Joe to sit up. "We know where the others are."

A grin came over Joe's face, a grin that Liette registered as terrifying. She could practically see the gears turning in his head. They were back on track which meant he could get back to writing the real plot of his story. "Good, we'll leave in the morning." he said with a nod. "Goodnight Jacob."

"Goodnight."

Jacob disappeared down the hall, leaving Liette and Joe once again. Joe stood from the bed and crossed to the door in over to close it. As he turned back to Liette his smile widened. He had her now and soon he would have the others. "Everything is falling into place." he grinned as he came back over to her. "Everything." Joe placed another kiss on her lips and Liette was sure he was going to restart what he had started. He leaned over her on the bed, ready to lay her down fully when suddenly he stood up straight. Something was wrong.

Ten years without alcohol meant mixing was a terrible idea.

"I'm so sorry love...I think...I think I'm going to be sick." And in the same way alcohol had made her vulnerable in this situation it had actually saved her from doing what she knew she shouldn't. Joe took off into the bathroom while Liette stayed stationary. She brought her knees up close to her chest and buried her face down into her legs. What the hell had she just gotten herself into?


	39. Chapter 39 - Desperate Measures

_[My dear readers, I apologize for how long this update took and how short I feel this chapter is. I also haven't bothered to do a thorough edit of it so I apologize but I'm in finals right now and things have been crazy so writing has been very draining and my muse has been very little. I shall hopefully get back to regular updates soon. I've appreciated reading all your reviews. Please keep them coming.] _

"H-hello?" Mike's voice was broken by a yawn as he picked up his cellphone. It was two in the morning, whoever was calling better have had a reason for disturbing the little bit of sleep he was finally getting.

"Mike."

"Liette?" Mike shot straight up in his bed as he recognized the voice on the other end of the phone. Panic. Relief. Worry. Emotions washed over him like waves just at the sound of her voice. It had been almost three weeks now since Carroll's escape and all they had to show Liette were surveillance videos and those notes she had supposedly left them. Hearing her voice gave Mike some more hope. She wasn't one of them. He had known it. It was all an act in order to trick Joe into leading them to each one of his followers. Mike had seen Liette's ideas and believed in them. She was not fooling them, she was fooling Joe. Her calling him reassured him of that. "Li, where are you?" Mike asked.

"I'm in too deep...it's too much." he heard it then. The crying. It wasn't heavy but Mike could tell by the jaggedness of her voice that she had cried harder moments before. She had clearly calmed herself down enough to get on the phone but as his ears picked up her words he realized how troubled she sounded. His gut reaction was to worry about Carroll. What if he had hurt her? The vivid images of Carroll's first fourteen victims popped into Mike's mind and he recoiled slightly in fear. Just the thought of Joe doing any little bit of harm to Liette made him sick. She didn't deserve that.

"What's wrong? Where are you!?" the agent was suddenly moving out of bed and towards his laptop. He had all the software he needed to try and trace this call. Maybe Liette would stay on long enough for him to do just that. They could find her and Joe and bring her home. This was all foolishness. He understood what she was trying to do by getting close to Joe but he had liked it better when she was fully on their side. Mike had started to resent some of his fellow agents because of the words they muttered about Liette. Even Parker was driving him up the wall. If they just brought her back in things would be alright again.

"He's going to kill again...it's only a matter of time. I don't know if I can stop him...I don't know if I can do this." Liette's tears continued to fall. She knew what the next step to delaying Joe's murderous rage was but she wasn't so sure she could go there. Could she actually sleep with him? Giving her body over to him would be the ultimate sacrifice. She would risk losing herself completely.

Her voice was low because the phone she was using in the house was just down the hall from the bedroom. Joe had seemingly passed out in the bathroom so Liette felt that she was safe enough making this call. The others were asleep and therefore this was the only time she had to let the truth come out.

"Liette, tell me where you are and I'll bring you home." Mike said, switching the phone onto speakerphone so he could start typing away. He fingers ran across his keyboard like lightening in order to triangulate the call.

"I orchestrated his escape Mike, I did it thinking I could stop him." she admitted to him but he already knew. She just needed to admit it for herself.

"We've arrested two of them because of you," Mike assured her.

"But there are more." Liette once again reminded herself why she was in this mess in the first place. It wasn't as if she had just taken off with a serial killer for the fun of it. There was a motive behind this and she had to reassure herself that she was doing the right thing by doing what she had done so far. She had to press on. She had called Mike to remind herself of that. Of course it was almost like talking to a wall but it was still better than letting it run over in her head.

"How many?"

"I'm not sure."

The fear of the unknown had never washed over Mike in such a way. Were they talking thirty people or hundreds? They had histories of cults all shapes and sizes but Mike had liked it better when they had thought this was limited to six people. Six people were easy to find and deal with. If this was as big as it seemed to be sounding it could take years for them to round up the rest.

That meant Liette could potentially spend years with Joe.

Stockholm Syndrome. The idea crossed Mike's mind and he didn't like it. Liette would have been lying to say she hadn't thought about it as well. How long could she spend with Joe without becoming enamored with him? A few friends and a hasty decision had had her making out with him just moments before. That was a fact that Mike didn't know but it was one that was already eating at Liette. What if this really did drag on for years? Would her psyche last that long? She couldn't be sure how long she could resist assimilating with the others. She had not motivation or intention to become a killer but what if she just became Joe's? Just the thought terrified her.

"We're leaving to meet the others tomorrow." Liette spoke once more.

"Where? Where are they?"

"I don't know. Jacob knows." So they were back with Jacob. That gave Mike a little bit of information but not enough to find out where she was. Within the time that they had talked one cell tower lit up on his computer. New York. They were somewhere in New York.

From down the hall Liette heard Joe's coughing. He was back to throwing up it seemed. That was fine, as long as he stayed in the bathroom. With her voice hushed she cried out a little more. "I don't know what I was thinking." she said, shaking her head. Her crying was audible again and Mike could feel his heart sink. He just wanted to help her. His fingers continued to type in everything he needed to find the next cell tower. "He's going to kill me."

With those words, Mike couldn't just focus on the typing he was doing. His fingers did not stop but his attention switched over. He paid attention to her. He gave her everything in this moment. "No, Liette, listen to me, you're going to be okay." he wanted this to be alright. He didn't want this to end with Liette being just another victim. He could just imagine the horrors of the photographs they'd take of her dead body, strewn about in the briefing room. It couldn't end like that. He needed so save her. "Just tell me where you are."

Liette knew this wasn't over. She couldn't stop. Perhaps the sane thing would have been to go home but she wasn't sure she could. They'd send her away or they'd lock her up. The options didn't seem pleasant. She had to tough it out and stick with Joe. It was here that she was going to get the most done.

"You know, I should have went out with you when I first came to the bureau." her voice was timid but it was honest. She wanted to say something nice before she had to say goodbye. Who knew when she would get to talk to him again?

"Tell me where you are and you can make up for it once your home." he was practically begging. Focusing on his computer screen was actually becoming difficult because he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He needed to be strong but she was breaking him. "Please."

Liette wanted to give Mike what he was asking for but she knew she couldn't. That just wasn't how this story was going to go. As she heard Joe stir in the other room she knew her time was up.

"I have to go."

"Liette."

"I'm sorry."

The dial tone called out loud in Mike's ear. He cursed the phone and tossed it to the side of the desk. He was just about to have a freak out and then he looked at his computer screen. A little box flashed at him. The triangulation had completed before Liette had hunt up. They had a location. An exact location. They were going to find them.


	40. Chapter 40 - Dead End

In the morning Joe prepared a peaceful breakfast. The house was quiet for only a moment. "Will you grab the newspaper Liette?" Joe requested kindly as he sat at the head of the kitchen table. Liette got the sense that Joe wanted a moment to talk to the others without her around. That made her nervous but she knew refusing Joe's request would only make him suspicious of her. She rose from the table and walked to the front door. Joe's voice became a whisper as she left and her suspicions were confirmed. He was hiding something. Her left hand reached for the doorknob but she had not even twisted it when she noticed something outside. Dozens of black vans. FBI, SWAT, the US Marshals. Mike had traced the call.

The fall would happen now.

"We've been found." Liette said, returning to the kitchen in a rush.

"What?" Joe stood from the table. He marched towards the front door and looked out the side window, doing his best not to be seen. His eyes took in everything that Liette had seen herself. "How the hell did this happen?!" soft and gentle Joe was replaced by the man who haunted Liette's dreams. She could see the darkness in his heart just through the narrowing of his eyes. He waited for an answer but instead the phone rang.

Joe didn't even give the phone a chance to ring a second time before he ripped it off the receiver. "Hello Joe." Ryan Hardy's voice was as smug as ever. He had the upper hand this time. Tonight he'd be having a drink but it would be because he captured Carroll, not because another had died on his watch. "Enjoying breakfast?"

Hardy was standing outside behind the protection of the squad car. He had insisted on making the call in despite the fact that there was a hostage negotiator with them. They had officially labelled this a hostage situation. Despite Liette's admittances to Mike the night before the team had decided that she was still technically being held against her will. Joe was clearly calling the shots about where they were going and therefore it was determined that Liette was not just another member of the cult. She was still one of them.

Ryan's voice made Joe's blood boil. How the hell had they found them here? This was supposed to be one of the safe houses. This wasn't how he wanted things to go. "Actually I was, but it appears I have some unwanted visitors." Joe said through gritted teeth.

"Well me and my friends here were a little insulted you didn't invite us." Ryan smirked, he liked knowing he was getting on Joe's nerves. "So, are you going to come out or are we going to have to come in?"

Joe stirred for a moment, pacing with the phone in his hand before he contemplated his next step. He was stuck here. There was no easy way out so he had to play the one trump card he had. "Are you sure you want to do that? Risk poor Liette's life." his eyes flashed a dangerous sheen as he looked at the blonde. His steps carried him towards her as she backed herself into the corner. "Jacob, a knife please. Something Sharp." he spoke so Ryan wouldn't hear him. Jacob did exactly what Joe asked of him. The knife was brought to his free hand and Joe examined it while he held the phone to his ear.

"We all know you won't hurt her." Ryan shook his head.

"I wouldn't be so sure Ryan, I mean after all, she's how you found me, isn't she?"

"How does he know that?" Mike's worry for Liette became audible as he straightened up. He was just about ready to march into that house himself. He couldn't let Liette die. She had led them here and somehow Joe had figured it out.

"He doesn't. He's bluffing." Ryan said, trying to assure Mike that things were okay.

"And to think, she almost had me fooled." "But she made such a sweet phone call to agent Weston last night that I couldn't help but overhear."

"No." this time it was Liette who spoke. Joe had heard? Had he heard everything? She could no longer play this little charade with him. He'd no longer believe her. She couldn't fool him into thinking she loved him. She couldn't do anything expect cower in fear.

"Now Liette, come here." Joe said, grabbing at her arm and pulling her close. The knife came close to abdomen as Joe brought her in but he did not harm her. "Tell them to stand down."

"Hardy, stand down." Liette said through tears.

"Arnaut, he's not going to hurt you." Ryan tried to assure her.

"I don't need to kill surrogates anymore Ryan." Joe spoke into the phone before casting a dangerous look a Liette. "I'm ready,"

Liette knew it was true. He was going to kill her if given the chance. Escape from this hell would only delay her death and yet that was what Liette wanted. Maybe if the FBI let them go she'd have a chance of surviving.

"Hardy, please stand down!"

"Parker, tell them to stand down!" Mike shouted.

The chaos fed into Joe's fantasy. Unlike the other time he had tried to kill her Joe was faced with a disruptive situation. The pond, his house...they had been so peaceful. But now he had the world spinning around him. It made for the perfect scene. "Don't worry love, death shall be your release,"

"Hardy please!"

With one swift motion Joe's blade slit her throat. Blood splatter onto Joe's face, causing him to smile. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor, grasping at the open wound on her neck. Joe leaned down and looked her in the eyes. "I love you."

The words woke Liette up in the most abrupt ways. It was like that feeling you get when you're falling in a dream and you suddenly wake up. She grasped for the sheets as if they'd save her. Panicked breathing escaped her lips as she thrashed around in the bed, trying to find herself in reality. Not dead. Just dreaming. Not dead. Just dreaming.

Liette's startled movements from her nightmare woke Joe beside her. He still felt so ill so as he leaned forward he had to deal with the dizziness of lingering alcohol. "Love?" his voice came out in a groggy whisper before he sat up to wrap his arms around her. "What's wrong? What is it?" part of him still felt as if he was asleep. It was almost unlikely that he would remember this moment if he was permitted to fall back into his slumber. But Liette's words brought him to full alert and he knew by her tone that he would not be going to bed.

"We need to leave now, we can't wait until morning."


	41. Chapter 41 - The House of Usher

_[I apologize for the extended hiatus, exams and such killed me. I have my last exam tomorrow but I am also headed off to Florida for two weeks after that so updates may still be slow. I still have plans for this story so expect to see more this summer. Thank you so much for your continued support and feedback, I appreciate every work. I hope to hear more from any of you! xo.]_

Liette's late night wake-up call did not go without consequences. She had had to admit her phone call to Weston. She blamed her actions on her conflicted emotions and the alcohol. Joe worried that she had feelings for the FBI agent but Liette incessantly denied the notion. When her hands fell upon his chest, Joe could feel that she was telling the truth but that did not mean he could just trust her.

Before she could stop him he took her gun away and lead her downstairs to the garage, leaving the gun on the bedside table. Liette would no longer be trusted with a weapon. This was a precaution Joe had to take incase part of her loyalty still rested with the FBI. He wanted to believe that it had just been a a slip up, a mistake made by a girl who had shifted her entire life for him but he could never be too cautious. Everything was at stake here. They had deviated from the plan so much already and Joe did not want to let anyone stand in the way of his book. It was time to actually start writing Ryan Hardy's story. He just needed to go and get comfortable first.

Liette's warning allowed them to get out of the house long before the FBI, SWAT and whatever other unit would barge in to find them. They were back on the road driving and heading across the state line in no time. Jacob drove the car, being the only one to know their final destination. It was a surprise for Joe, one that Roderick had cooked up while Joe had been stuck in prison the first time. Joe was the only one who knew who Roderick actually was but the others would find out soon enough.

Liette sat quietly in the back seat of the sedan with Joe by her side. Her eyes were blindfolded to make sure that if she slipped up again she wouldn't be able to tell anyone where she had been taken. Now Liette was beginning to feel like Joe's hostage. Her nerves were rattled from him making her leave without the gun. She was without protection and now they were off to meet a bunch more of his crazy crew. Liette was beginning to think she should have risked her nightmare coming true as opposed to throwing herself into this one.

The blindfold wasn't exactly a friendly notion but Joe had not harmed her. He had been upset and had raised his voice at her back in the house but had remained shockingly calm. He had gathered the others quickly, made them pack up some essentials for the drive and then had them on the road before even an echo of the FBI could be heard.

Havenport was less than a day's drive away from New York. In the time that Jacob drove them there the FBI had been sourly disappointed to find that they had lost Joe again. Mike Weston lost his cool worse than Hardy ever had because he had pretty much had Liette at his fingertips. Now they had no idea where Joe and his crew were. Mike just worried that Joe had found out about Liette's phone call and was now in a lot of trouble.

When they reached Roderick's home Joe was greeted with the glorious site of an old Virginian estate. The red brick mansion was secluded in the back woods of the country and was protected by a fence that circled the whole property through the woods. It was the perfect secluded home for him to take refuge in. The property was large and to Joe that spoke many things. He would finally get to meet them all, all his followers, and he would finally get to see just how many of them there were.

It had grown dark again as they pulled through the gates into the estate. The guards quickly recognized Joe in the backseat and granted the car entry with the utmost haste. One ran towards the house to tell the others. Suddenly droves of people were emerging from the front door of the estate. Liette tried not to gasp as Joe removed her blindfold. "Isn't it beautiful?" he asked, amazed himself by how many Roderick and the others had managed to recruit. Joe had constructed the message but he had managed to find

In a moment that Joe saw beauty Paul saw bitterness. He was once again reminded that Joe had all these other people here that they had never known about. It had been so much bigger than Paul and the others had been led to believe. This whole thing screamed Cult now, as opposed to Joe creating a little family with his words and his wisdom. This wasn't a family home, it was a compound, and Paul wasn't so sure he would be comfortable here.

A young man with light hair and a strong jaw walked forward. He was dressed formally in a sheriff's uniform. Liette cringed. She knew now that Joe had people in all different places but the last thing the FBI needed was a sheriff of some town keeping them off Joe's trail if they got this close. The young man appeared confident and somewhat familiar for some reason. Perhaps he was just one of those people.

"Joe Carroll? Aren't you like the most wanted man in the country right now?" the sheriff spoke with a forced official voice before cracking a smile in Joe's direction.

"Actually yes, which was why I was hoping you'd have a place for us to stay." Joe grinned back before he embraced the young man. The hug was excited and pure. It was clear that they had known each other for years and were friends. "Roderick, how are you?"

"Great, now that you've finally arrived." Roderick's voice carried as he looked back at all the people who had come to see Joe get here. They had all be waiting on him, waiting to see him and to finally take him in. All of them stood their in amazement as they gazed at their coveted leader. Joe would soon show them all the way.

"We had to make a few detours," Joe frowned.

"Yeah, we saw about Hank on the news," Roderick's voice almost hinted at a feeling of remorse that he was pretty much incapable of feeling. Hank had been a friend. Roderick had recruited him personally but his death had to be forgotten, they had a mission to focus on and therefore there was no real time to grieve.

Roderick turned his attention to the blonde that Joe had escorted out of the backseat with him. He knew the others from the car were other accolades but Roderick remembered that there was something special about this one. This was the girl that Joe had always been obsessed with. It was quite amazing to see that Joe had gotten away with her after his prison escape. The pieces of the puzzle seemed to be falling into place. "Liette right? I remember you from school."

Suddenly Liette remembered why he looked so familiar.

_Like any other Sunday, Liette was sitting in the coffee shop with Joe, flipping through the pages of books and discussing anything and everything. Today Joe had had request for Liette. It would appear as something innocent but in reality Joe was just finding new ways to keep tabs on her. "I was wondering if you'd mind tutoring a fellow student of yours," he began, looking at her over the rim of his reading glasses. "He's come to me for help and I'm afraid I only have so much time so I've only been able to help him on some aspects of his work." Joe shook his head with a sweet smile. He had helped the young man in ways that Liette couldn't imagine, in ways that had nothing to do with romantic literature. _

_ "He could really use your assistance in analyzing the text," Joe explained. In reality the young man had no problem in any of his classes but Joe had managed to solicit him into doing some spy work for him. He had been feeling as if his few hours a week with Liette were not enough. He needed to know more about what was happening in her life and that would mean hearing the viewpoints of others. He could not spend every waking hour with her after all."He's willing to pay you of course," Joe added, knowing that the young girl was almost always in need of money. That bothered him of course. He wanted to support her but he knew that it would be inappropriate. _

_ The money was what sparked her interest. She found herself needing more now that she was planning on staying at school over the summer. A few extra bucks a week would give her a chance to save some more. "Okay, sure, I don't see why that would be a problem." she agreed with a nod. "You can just introduce me to him after class this week," _

The young man Liette had tutored for a few weeks in the second semester had sharpened slightly but now Liette saw him in Roderick. She had known him as Tim, just Tim but clearly he only responded to the name Joe had given him. The work in which Roderick's name came from was a gloomy tale, much like most of Poe's work. It was not surprising to Liette that Joe drew from most of Poe's darker works to facet his cult mentality. He had basically created a religion based on the concepts of Poe and his own twisted mind. Liette was intrigued by it, wanting to see the inner workings, all while being terrified that it would end in her sacrifice.

Roderick's smile conveyed a message that he had no intention to harm Liette. She wasn't sure if Joe had made it clear to the young man that Liette was not to be harmed or if the sheriff just assumed her affiliation with Joe kept her safe for now. His Southern hospitality kept him from giving her some cruel stare or an ill fitted attitude while he stood in front of her now. He was aware that she was an agent but unlike Paul, Roderick had decided to play nice.

"We'll make up a room for the little lady," his wide grin flashed towards Liette.

"Actually, Liette will be staying with me Roderick." Joe responded immediately. He would not be separated from her, not even now that they were here in this mansion. He had much work to do but he intended to do much of it with Liette by his side. He longed for another kiss from her soft lips or the chance to run his fingers through her hair. Joe had just felt as if he had captured her so there was no way he could possibly let her go.

"Oh," Roderick's voice tensed a little bit. "Well this is awkward...we had just figured...well, that you'd be rooming with your wife." the words sounded loud for everybody to hear. Roderick then pointed upwards to a window on the second floor of the estate. Illuminated by a warm yellow light was the outline of a woman. It did not take but a second to recognize the curves of her body and the waves of her gorgeous hair. It was Claire.


	42. Chapter 42 - The Rewrite

_After months of no muse, I return to you all, apologetic that I haven't been writing. I'm hoping to keep it up or at least bring this story to a place that makes a good ending. I'm sorry to have left you hanging. Please continue to read and review. I truly appreciate all your kind words!_

The rush to find Liette and Joe had led the FBI on a wild goose chase to New York, only to have them return to frantic calls from the state marshals. Four of their men were dead, two had gotten away with Joey Matthews, and one had tried to chase after the men who had taken Claire before losing them in the woods. Ryan Hardy and Mike Weston had both lost a personal battle today so tensions were high back in Virginia. They needed a win or this whole team wold crumble.

"We focus on Joe," Parker said strongly, trying to make sure she continued to lead her team with prompt actions and a level head. "His men will have brought Claire to him," Debra assumed. Joe's freedom likely meant that it was about time they all had a rally point. They had shown so far that they had many resources and were not low on cash. The location could be anywhere but Parker assumed it had been locked down for months.

Suddenly Hardy's phone rang.

"Sorry, one second." he nodded before picking it up. "Ryan Hardy,"

"Well hello Ryan,"

Joe's sickly voice slipped through the phone into Ryan's ear. This caused the man's blood to boil and his back to straighten. He hesitated at first, trying to mask the anger in his voice. "Joe," he said slowly. He put the phone on speakerphone and began signaling the team to do a trace. Hopefully they could catch a proper location this time. Ryan just needed to keep Joe talking. "How are you?"

The smirk that fell upon Joe's face as Ryan's voice acknowledged him was eerily amusing. It was easy to tell that Joe was genuinely happy to hear Ryan's voice. The satellite phone that Roderick had prepared for him could not be traced and therefore was the perfect. He could talk for a substantial about of time before even risking a triangulation by the FBI. Joe had therefore insisted to use this phone before he was introduced to all his followers and shown about the stately mansion Roderick had procured for them. "Oh I'm quite good Ryan, as you can imagine," Joe said, reminding Ryan that he was winning. "I'm just missing Joey, I was rather hoping I'd get to see him." it was the last piece of the puzzle that he was waited to collect. The game would really begin once he had Joey back.

Joey Matthews had been moved across the country once it had become aware that Joe's people had ways of finding people who were locked down in witness protection. Ryan had sent the marshals to a place he knew Joe wouldn't be able to find. Tyson had been under witness protection for years now and his house was secluded enough that Joey Matthews and the marshals should be safe until this whole ordeal was over.

Ryan's silence allowed Joe to keep talking. "But I do have Claire now," Joe taunted him, knowing that the very mention of Claire's name would set the hot headed agent's heart aflame. His hero was very much in love with the woman and Joe had really bet on that to help him get to this point. Now, Joe was facing an issue with Claire that he had not expected. In his tryst with Liette, he had forgotten about his instructions to kidnap Claire. His followers had done good and followed through with these orders but now Joe was conflicted. "Ryan, I'm stuck on how to end this chapter,"

"What are you talking about Joe?" Ryan's brow furrowed at the man's words.

"Well I can't have them both. That wouldn't make a popular story at all, would it?" no romance ever ended with two leading ladies. There had to be some way to pick one of them. The obvious choice might have been Liette but that was until Joe had seen Claire in the window. He did not trust himself in her presence yet because his belief in the sanctity of marriage was tugging at his heartstrings. He had told himself in prison that he should have left Claire for Liette but as Claire resurfaced it was harder to make that decision. He needed some help, which was exactly why he had called Ryan. "Yet here I am with my wife-"

"Ex-wife," Ryan corrected quickly.

Joe scoffed at the man and continued. "My wife, and the girl I fell in love with," his voice played lightly on those words as a smile came to his face. Emma had taken Liette upstairs to change and shower. He was still being quite courteous towards her despite her betrayal. He wanted to trust that it had all been a mistake. Meanwhile, Claire was locked up in her room, waiting for the next move. Joe was just trying to figure out what move to make. "You can see how this is difficult for me, can't you?"

Ryan didn't answer Joe. He didn't want to play along in this game. He was aware of what happened to people that Joe didn't need anymore. If he wrote Claire out of the story, he would do it for good. Ryan didn't want to mutter a word that would send Joe off to kill her. He was finding it harder and harder to stay on the phone as he thought of Claire and how distraught she must be in Joe's presence. He couldn't stand to imagine what Joe would do to her if he decided that she was no longer an important character. The woman Ryan Hardy loved would be murdered and mutilated just like Sarah Fuller.

"What would you do Ryan?" Joe asked after a moment of silence. He wanted Ryan to play this game with him but Ryan's lack of responses were really dragging it out. "Would you try and rebuild your marriage? Or would you move on to the girl who has accepted you already?" Joe asked, looking for Ryan's answer. His own mind danced around the choices he had to make.

Claire signified a reunion, a rebirth of their marriage and a chance to rekindle the love that Joe had once deemed as a forever love. He had agreed upon until death do us part. That meant this could go two ways. He could live out his days with Claire, making her love him once more, or he could end her life early and therefore free him from their vows. The second option also promised to be a damaging blow to Ryan Hardy and what little strength he had left.

Still, killing Claire would be a waste of a good woman and Joe knew he would be destroying his family. Would Joey ever forgive him? Joe wasn't sure he could have his family back without Claire. That would mean killing Liette. He had tried and failed so many times before. He still wasn't sure he was ready for that parting blow. It would be like ripping his own heart out.

Still, he needed to make a decision.

"Do I kill Liette or Claire?"

"Joe." Ryan couldn't help but allow the other man's name to escape from his lips. He couldn't stop himself in this moment of panic. His worry had been warranted. If they didn't find them soon enough, Claire or Liette would be found dead.

"Ryan, you can pick, I'm giving you that opportunity."

"Hardy hang up the phone," Weston spoke up immediately. He knew Ryan's feelings gravitated him towards saving Claire but Mike wouldn't let the other man throw away Liette's life. No matter how much he respected Ryan Hardy, he would not let him sentence Liette to death just to save Claire Matthews.

An eerie silence filled the room as Ryan hesitated. Mike was ready to jump and turn off the phone himself but instead they were all stopped by the quiet voice of Joe Carroll creeping over the phone once more.

"Tick, tock,"


	43. Chapter 43 - Love is Blindness

A loud dial tone signaled to Joe that Ryan Hardy was not going to give him the answer he was looking for. The agent had surprisingly resisted the chance to indefinitely save Claire by sacrificing Liette. What was it about Hardy that made him such a hero? Joe could hardly believe the true selflessness of a mere man. What was it that made Ryan act this way? Anyone else could have taken the easy way out by saving the woman they loved but not Ryan. Joe knew that given the option Ryan would trade his life to save both Liette and Claire. That wasn't how Joe had planned Ryan's end but it was a thought Joe was now holding in his head.

What was Ryan's motivation?

Now that he was ready to settle into his new home, Joe knew it was only a matter of time before he had to begin to bring his story to life. He needed to get writing but his muse was fickle. Although he planned this out to be his masterpiece, Joe was beginning to worry that there were inherent flaws in his plan. He needed to know more about Ryan before he could truly develop the character honestly. He also needed to know more about Liette and the woman she had become before her piece could be written.

That meant he couldn't kill her yet.

Which left Claire. There was a time when Joe had thought he had known every in and out about that woman. In their marriage, he had stopped expecting surprises from her because he had become so accustomed to her every move. In the years that they were together, no one knew Claire quite the way that Joe had. But things were different now. Years had passed and Joe now knew as much about Claire as a mere acquaintance did. Which left him with many aching questions. He had probed her for information about Joey and her feelings for Ryan but there was one thing left that Joe did want to discover. Did she still feel for him at all?

"Everyone's waiting to meet you," Roderick's voice broke Joe's concentration. He turned from his spot at the fireplace to see the young man standing in the door way. "I'd like to show you around," Joe had requested to be taken up to a private space the moment he had learnt of Claire but now Roderick figured the real welcome party could begin. The state house he had procured for them was nothing to ignore. There were more than enough bedrooms here to comfortably hold all of Joe's followers. There were over fifty now. The more important ones, like Roderick himself, stayed in solo rooms but others were fine bunking in rooms with multiple other people. They were a family.

"They're very excited to meet you," Roderick added as he caught Joe's eye. For years, he had been in charge of recruiting and preparing the followers for this very moment. Many of them only knew of Joe and his greatness. They were closer to Roderick than they would ever be to Joe but that did not mean they were not thrilled to hear their real leader was now here. Roderick had just been a stand in. He had enjoyed the power, perhaps a little more than he should have but he had done well nonetheless. Every inch of this house showed just how well he had done.

"Yes, alright, take me to them."

While Joe took off to do his business, Jacob and Emma had been asked to keep an eye on Liette. A small blonde woman had led them to a living room where they could wait for Joe to return. "Paul, you coming?" Jacob asked, looking back at his friend and lover who had continued to linger in the hall.

"Nah, I think I'm going to go look around," Paul shook his head. "You two have fun babysitting." bitterness ripped through the air but before Jacob could say anything in return Paul had taken off. Instead, the young man slipped his arm around Emma and nodded for Liette to go into the room they had been led to.

Liette could help but feel herself marvel at every inch of this place. They had truly prepared a space with Joe in mind. She recognized dozens of the books on the shelves and was able to name a few of the paintings hanging on the wall. The whole place emanated classiness and grandeur. Joe had always been a man of good taste and he had never been too attracted to anything simple. He loved anything that could be labelled as rare. He had always claimed that Liette, herself was a rare find. A girl so unique that you couldn't help but want to be around her.

He had collected her but now that Claire was here Liette wasn't so sure there would be room on the shelf for her anymore. She was very aware of the fact that she would have to play up her romantic interest in Joe in order to survive. At the same time, that would mean endangering Claire's life. Liette knew how Joe's mind worked. They couldn't both stay. True romance stories involved a choice. In this story there were two men and two women which seemingly worked out perfectly but Liette knew that Joe wasn't just going to keep Claire for Ryan. Joe's plan involved ending Ryan for good which would likely include the disposal of Claire to break him. At the same time Liette recalled Joe's fondness for tradition and the sanctity of marriage. If Claire said the right things she would be able to preserve herself.

It all came down to who could actually love the monster and Liette hated herself for knowing that she would win. The kiss from the other night burned in her mind. Joe had continued to steal kisses from her but it was that first kiss that really triggered her. She could recall every feeling she had in that moment and couldn't help but feel distant from herself. She had felt joy and excitement with Joe which was something she should have never felt with a man so dark. He had killed girls in place of her and yet a kiss made her forget the monster that stood before her.

"It's a nice place, isn't it?" Liette was snapped out of her thoughts as she realized a voice was speaking to her. She looked up to see an unfamiliar face standing before her. A young woman with bright ginger hair had approached her. Unlike Emma, her hair appeared to be naturally red as opposed to dyed. It was also much longer than Emma's and Liette's own hair. Perfect ringlets seemed to curl down the woman's back and all over her head. She was stunning to say the least. Very light green eyes gazed at Liette and offered her a smile. "I'm Molly," the woman offered, extending her hand to Liette.

Psychopath or deadbeat? Liette wondered to herself as she timidly reached out to shake the woman's hand. She decided that being nice to these people was probably the best choice for her right now. The last thing she needed was someone losing her temper with her. "Liette," the blonde nodded her introduction. "It is a nice place," she added with a forced smile.

Molly lingered for a moment, accessing the young woman before her and deciding what her next move would be. She had always been cool and calculating. Her idea of perfection was so exact that she got heated when things didn't go her way. She was the perfect little psychopath for Joe's team and she was one of the few followers here who had met Joe before she had met Roderick. She had visited him in prison a number of times and he had given her a special job. She was the only woman other than Claire Matthews that Ryan had ever gotten close to being serious with. Joe had given her the important job of looking after Ryan and she had done so quite well. Ryan still assumed she was just his hot ex from down the hall who liked to stop in for casual sex sometimes. Molly had always been so much more than that. She had never been Ryan's, she had always been Joe's.

"I could show you around," Molly offered. "I'm sure Joe would be fine with it."

"Actually, we're supposed to watch her." Jacob cut in. He had begun listening in when he had noticed Molly come over to Liette.

"She's a woman, not a dog," the ginger woman shot a nasty look at the young man who had challenged her. She had never met Jacob before but she assumed her was just another puzzle piece in Joe's plan. Molly just wondered why he had been chosen to be one of the ones who got to see Joe first.

"We're doing what Joe asked," Emma said, defending Jacob's words. The two of them did not intend to let Liette out of their sight while they were supposed to be watching her. They were both aware of Joe's frustration about Joey getting away so they were dedicated to not screwing up.

"I'm doing what he would want,"

Liette noticed the tension building between the three of them before her. She did not want to be fought over like a piece of meat. There had to be a way to stop them before this got too dangerous. "It's okay, I can wait to see the place. I'm sure Joe would like to show me himself," and as if by fate, Liette's assumption was confirmed with words.

"She's exactly right," Joe stood in the doorway that the blonde had led them through. His eyes cast about the room before falling solidly on Liette. He had made the decision to save seeing Claire for later. He needed time to compose himself before he made any decision but a decision would be made. As he looked over Liette with a watchful eye he hoped to catch her gaze. In the moment that her eyes locked with his Joe felt a sense of relief. She did not appear angry with him for their fight and for blindfolding her on the way here. She seemed extremely calm which made Joe happy. "Roderick was just about to show me around, join me love?" he requested, holding his hand out for her. She did not hesitate, she stepped past Molly and laid her hand in his.

"Of course,"


End file.
